A Thief's Dream
by Lil-Sun-Rie
Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he’s forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved?
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: I'm feeling really shitty right now and decided to write a new fic… I know I start a lot of fics that I might not even finish, but I just needed to write it. 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I only own the plot… -_-

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter One: Meeting You_

_Knowing me, knowing you, _

_There is much that we can do. _

_Knowing me, knowing you, _

_It's about time we flew.  _

_ -Abba! _

Once upon a time… there was a cocky prince that took all he had for granted. He never once thought of the people that didn't have what he had. He never thought of his poor subjects who worked all day and did not get any richer. 

Kenshin Himura wasn't a very great guy to mess with… actually messing with him might mean the end of your life, so most of the servants in the castle avoided him as much as possible. 

This story begins in Kenshin's adolescence years. 

"Kenshin! You have to marry soon! I want to see the bride you get and the children you have…" 

King Hiko was fuming about his foster son's irresponsibility, _again_. All the servants kept their distance, knowing that Hiko could get really violent when he was angry. Kenshin just leisurely walked around Hiko. For some reason, Kenshin's amber eyes unsettled him. 

He was an unusual boy. Kenshin always seemed to be able to surprise him with the simplest things. Hiko found Kenshin when one of his villages had burned down. He had gone down there to examine the ruins and get an idea about who committed this crime. 

Hiko found Kenshin in the middle of all the debris hugging a sword close to his chest. Kenshin was fast asleep and whenever Hiko asked Kenshin about the attack, Kenshin would just look up at him and shrug. Hiko then adopted him to be his son and the heir to the throne. 

Kenshin then seemed to shed his innocence and he became more uncontrollable. He seemed to get away with everything that he did and soon it resulted in his rebellious attitude. 

"Hiko-sama… I said that I will marry when I meet _her_." 

"And, who is this _she_ that you refer to?"

Kenshin shrugged. 

"I'll know her when I see her… I guess." 

"Kenshin… it's not a matter of destiny or fate, this is about producing an heir and keeping the throne in the family."

Kenshin just shrugged again and snapped at a servant. 

"Bring me a drink." 

The servant nodded quickly and scurried off in fright. 

Kenshin suddenly became pensive. 

"If I don't find a bride in the next two weeks, you may choose her." 

Hiko looked at Kenshin and smirked. 

"In the next week." 

Kenshin nodded absent mindedly. "Deal." 

"On the samurai honor."

Kenshin grinned, "I'm not a samurai, I'm the prince." 

Hiko laughed and patted Kenshin's back. 

"You better pick and quickly or I get to." 

Kenshin just nodded and grabbed his goblet from the trembling slave. He drank it all in one gulp and placed the cup on a near by table. He grabbed his cloak from a velvet chair and fastened it around his neck. 

"I'm going to the market." 

Before Hiko could say anything, Kenshin was gone. 

Hiko smiled to himself and shook his head. 

********

Kenshin arrived at the market place and it seemed that none of the peasants recognized him as the prince. He knew that they could tell that he was very wealthy with the clothes he was wearing. Kenshin looked over booths and finally decided to just walk. He didn't know who he wanted to marry. 

He could have any person in this country, rich or not. He just didn't know what he wanted _her_ to be like. 

Kenshin could hear people calling out their merchandise to him. Suddenly, shouting erupted and a group of people seemed to be running his way. They were soldiers and a figure clad in a long green cloak. Kenshin couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, all he knew was that it was a thief. 

How couldn't you know when you could hear the shouting everywhere? 

"Stop thief!" 

"Damn! That bastard can run!" 

Kenshin watched with amusement. He had never seen what the soldiers did as their real jobs outside of war. 

Kenshin watched as the figure tripped and fell to the ground, but before colliding with it, the figure flipped and landed gracefully on their feet. Kenshin could hear the people around him gasp in amazement. Kenshin watched as they passed and started walking the opposite way. 

Kenshin wandered aimlessly in the market place and before he knew it, he was pushed from behind, causing him to loose his and the person's balance. He saw a flash of green and saw that it was the person that could flip gracefully, but couldn't swerve to avoid bumping into anyone. 

Kenshin quickly regained his footing and instinctively reached out and caught the person in his arms. He felt the person's weight relax in his arms. He looked down and found himself staring into pools of deep blue. Kenshin took in the whole appearance and saw that in his arms he held a woman. 

Suddenly, the girl broke from his embrace and was about to run again, but then one of the guards tackled her to the ground. She let out a shriek and fell with a huge bulky body over hers. 

Kenshin watched with wonder. 

They pulled a pouch from under her green cloak. It was a small pouch and when they opened it, showers of jewelry fell from the mouth. Kenshin looked down at the girl who stared angrily at the ground. The guards bound her hands with a rope that one of the peasants supplied. 

The girl turned to Kenshin and glared long and hard at him. 

"Damn you! You got in my way! If it wasn't for your rich ass, I would have been long gone…" She trailed off. One of the soldiers had just slapped her. 

"That is no way you talk to your majesty." The soldiers put a hand over their hearts and kneeled before him. The soldier who had spoken forced Kaoru to kneel too. 

"Apologize to your prince." 

"I give you my humble apology." She said, stretching out the words with a low, disrespecting drawl. She gagged and spit at Kenshin's boots. 

Kenshin felt anger well within him. How dare this girl! He was royalty and here was a common criminal treating him like dirt. 

"Lord, do you want us to put an end to this girl's nuisance?" He looked down at her and shook his head. 

"No, that is too good a punishment. Take her to my quarters and situate her there. From this day on, she is my personal slave." 

The girl's head snapped up with anger. She muttered under her breath and stood up with her head held up high, while all the soldiers led her to the castle. 

Kenshin smiled in satisfactory. This would be very interesting, he could tell. 

********

Kaoru groaned inwardly. This was going to be torture… she could tell. She just met the prince and already she despised him. Kaoru started to struggle against her bonds when she was left in a big room all alone. 

She tried to bite it off with her teeth, but the rope was smartly knotted and extremely thick. 

Kaoru bit and bit, but it didn't work. The door opened and revealed a little, brunette girl. The girl approached Kaoru with her head bowed. 

"The lord likes to keep his servants well dressed." 

Kaoru smirked. The only reason they did that was to show how wealthy they were. If they could clothe themselves and their servants well, then they were extremely wealthy. 

The small girl placed a green gown in front of Kaoru. 

Kaoru looked down at the gown. It was beautiful, but it just wouldn't seem right on her. It's been a while since she had anything that was worth a lot. It's been a long time since she held something of value in her calloused hands. 

Her mother had disowned her when her father died. She claimed that Kaoru didn't attract any rich suitors and that she was an extra mouth to feed.

So Kaoru left with nothing, but the clothes on her back, her father's sakabatou, and her dignity. 

Her calloused hands gently stroked the flimsy fabric. 

"I can't." 

"This gown isn't of any real importance. It once belonged to the prince's betrothed, but it seems that she ran away with a young duke. Kaoru looked up at the small girl and smiled. 

"I can tell why she ran away."

"My lady, it is treason to speak in such a matter." 

"It is only treason when you are caught speaking that way." Kaoru winked at the girl and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. 

"I don't think I will be able to accept this gown. It is much too beautiful for me to take." 

The little girl smiled. 

Kaoru smiled back at the small girl and continued to finger the gown. 

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to wear it. I mean they did offer it to me, it would be rude to just reject a present…" 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**How was it? This idea just hit me when I was really mad… I hope it's okay… If it is, I guess I should get mad more often! LOL! **

**Quote of the chapter!**

** Without sleep, a man cannot work.**

** Without work, the sleep gives no benefit. **

** -Chinese Proverbs! **

**I loved that quote and I just wanted to post it up on something. I feel really disappointed because my first story is about to end… -_-**

**If you haven't read it, it is King's Box! I'm planning for this to be a short story, but you never know. It might turn out long too. **

**I hope it does. I enjoy writing. I'm planning to put about five more chapters on my Fruits Basket fic till it's finished… I already thought about the end, it's going to be really sad.**

**I hope I can make people cry with it. LOL! (o^.^o)(=^.^=)(*^.^*) **

**Why couldn't this be a no fighting world… -_- _That_ was random. Don't mind me, I just had m&m's! I love the ones with the peanuts inside! Those are the best. **


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: WOW! ALMOST 30 REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER! O_O I'm feeling great right now! Thanks for all the reviews… it made me feel so much better! Christmas is coming up! Happy Early Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas! Me, I'm just staying home and be lazy. LOL! ^_^ Happy days! I'm sorry I didn't change the format. I just feel comfortable with it like that. LOL! Part of this story might seem like my other one… just because I can't find a better plot… HELP ME! NEED IDEAS!

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I only own the plot… -_- **THE PART WITH THE SPY… IT'S KIND OF LIKE A PART READ IN ANOTHER STORY… IT'S KIND OF LIKE UNIQUE-STARFISH'S! -_-**

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Two: Princess Megumi _

_You make me feel,_

_Like a star, oh baby!_

_You say stay, baby stay, _

_Just the way you are._

_ -Can't remember! LOL! _

Kaoru fell asleep on the bed. She had put on the green gown and found that it looked exceptionally well on her. The little girl that she talked to was Tsubame. She was a very sweet girl. 

Kaoru later paced the room and when she got bored, she lay on the bed and soon fell asleep. 

Kenshin opened to wooden door to his chambers and suddenly, everything stopped. He looked on the bed and there was a beautifully figured woman sleeping on it. 

At first he thought that Hiko-sama was trying to get him a wife, but on future inspection found that the woman was the thief he had met earlier that day. 

Kenshin grinned. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. Her face wasn't scrunched up in a growl or snarl; instead it was calm and innocent. Kenshin wondered what drove this girl to thievery. She looked so young. 

She started moaning. Kenshin looked down at her as she moved and stretched. Finally she opened her eyes.

******

"Rebellion. That's what this is. We must dethrone the king and kill his only son." 

"Yes, bastards all!"

Both men spoke with hatred in their voices. Their faces were concealed in darkness. The flickering of a weak candle could not light up this dark night on which these men chose to lurk. 

"Lord Shishio, everything is ready. We will set up an ambush." 

"Yes… the king will see what he did to me. He will see it through his son's sufferings." 

A man stepped into the flickering light of the torch. The other man gasped and dropped to his knees for he has seen the demon's within his lord's soul. The blood red eyes narrowed and with a bandaged hand he lifted the head of his servant and struck him with a fierce punch. 

"We need more than an ambush to get this prince. He will be protected by the best knights and footmen. He's going to travel with a small militia." 

The man who was on his knees before his lord whimpered. 

"I will do as you say, my lord. I serve no one but you." 

The man shivered as hard, cold eyes stared him down. He could feel the anger burn into his heart. Footsteps grew louder as Shishio walked closer to the trembling swordsman. 

"Why does it feel like something is wrong? Tell me, Raenef, are you frightened?" 

"No, my lord. I am excited. It's been awhile since my blade has tasted sweet flesh." Raenef fingered the hilt of his katana. 

Shishio grinned as his red eyes flashed. "Fire. That's what caused this. I was the previous king's best hitokiri, but that damned son of his pursued his crazy idea of peace." 

Shishio glared at Raenef. "Do you know what he did to me?" 

Raenef shook his head, but kept it politely bowed. "He burned me! The fires of hell reached up and engulfed me. And-"

Shishio suddenly cut off. A pause hung over the two men. Shishio lowered his voice to a fierce whisper. "And, all I did was laugh." 

Shishio smiled menacingly. His voice grew louder with a savage cry. 

"All I did was _laugh_!" He stretched out the word, as if daring Raenef to laugh. Shishio snarled. 

"They betrayed me. All my footmen… they bowed to that damned Seijouro Hiko… and we were the same age." 

Raenef snarled weakly. 

"It's disgusting." 

Raenef looked up at Shishio and his eyes were burning red in the dim, flickering light of the candle. It was like staring at the devil's eyes. They were bright red like the cursed fire in which he was burned. Raenef whimpered slightly, but tried his best to stay quiet. 

"You are disgusting Raenef." 

"My lord…?"

Shishio gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. His bandaged face tilted to the moonlight. He let the gentle light wash over his burnt body, which was now covered in bandages. Then, with the sudden speed as a gentle breeze, Raenef was dead. His head rolled and the dead body fell to the ground still twitching with blood pouring from his neck. Shishio kneeled down to look at the detached head. 

"A spy is what you are." 

With that said Shishio kicked the head and watched as it rolled a little. The head stopped and in the moon light it was easy to see the fear in his eyes. "And that is disgusting." Shishio sheathed his bloody sword and fled into the dark arms of night. 

Darkness and Shishio were companions that worked in the silence of each other's presence. 

******

Kaoru moved a bit and stretched. She was sleeping on a very soft mattress. It's been a while since she had a good night of sleep. Kaoru opened her eyes. Two spheres of amber were staring hard at her. They seemed to say that she was in big trouble. Kaoru scrambled from the bed, but only succeeded on collapsing to the floor, full force. Kaoru groaned as she peeled herself from the hard marble floor. Kenshin watched her with curiosity. 

He's never seen a lady act so… so unladylike. 

Kaoru stood up and dusted off the skirt of her gown. It was then that Kenshin noticed that her hands were still bound with the rope. He made a move towards, but she stepped back with every step he took towards her. Kenshin grinned and took two steps forwards. Kaoru took two steps back. Again and again… till Kaoru fell on the bed. 

Kaoru was sprawled on the bed in the beautiful green gown. Kenshin's grin just grew larger. 

"My, my, my… what do we have here?" 

Kaoru glared up at him and stood on her feet. She stood to her full height, even though it was still a little shorter than Kenshin's. 

If it was possible, Kenshin's grin just grew larger. He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. 

"What is your name?" 

Kaoru was tempted to spit in his face, but she valued her life more than his humiliation. She just contented herself with glaring at him. Kenshin looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to find the person inside. Kaoru trembled slightly as she looked into his amber depths. They were so bright and threatening. Elegant and narrow like a cat, but menacing and terrible like a monster. 

"My name is none of your concern." Kaoru wanted to cross her arms, but she didn't want to risk touching him since they were so close. She could feel his breath brush against her face. Hate seethed within her. She didn't want to be treated like a concubine. She wasn't one! 

"That's not the way you should speak to your prince, personally I like being called your highness… but, prince Himura just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?" 

Was he trying to seduce her? 

"_Prince_ Himura…" She coughed a little and muttered 'bastard' under her breath. What she didn't know was that Kenshin heard her. He was trained in the Hiten Mitsurugi and therefore had exception senses. 

"I wouldn't fool yourself. I have no interest in you." Kenshin laughed at her offended look. "Get yourself down for dinner. The royal family and their personal servants eat together."

Kenshin turned his back and left the room with an extremely red Kaoru. 

That girl really confused him. Shouldn't she be learning the art of calligraphy and manners instead of thievery and cursing. She was an enigma to him and all he wanted to do was figure her out. 

******

Kenshin was right. The whole family was there with their slaves. She looked around and all the slaves were dressed in beautiful gowns. Kaoru noticed that many of the servants were beautiful and graceful. She suddenly felt very self-conscious. She didn't know why. She could normally deal with being different, but being there in a hall filled with elegant beauties was a little… unnerving. She didn't know how to describe it! 

Kaoru noticed that all of the royalty family wore purple, since it was a very expensive dye. It came from snails from the ocean (a/n: I'm not sure about it… but, it's something like that…). She saw that the servants sat next to their host. Kaoru saw Kenshin on near the head of the table and made her way to him. He sat on King Hiko's right side because he was the heir. 

Kaoru sat next to Kenshin. She smoothed out her gown and observed all the servants to see what she should do. 

They reached for the sake, so Kaoru did the same thing. They gently held the bottom of the small jar with both hands and tilted it downwards. Kaoru copied them, but she wasn't watching what she was doing. The next thing she knew was that Prince Himura banged the table and cursed loudly. 

Kaoru looked down at the jar she was holding and saw that she had poured the sake all over Kenshin…

Hiko grinned. 

"Baka deshi… Kenshin. Tomorrow I want you to meet the princess of one of our neighboring countries." 

"Who might this princess be?" Kenshin asked as he patted himself dry with a handkerchief. 

"Princess Megumi Takani…" Kenshin nodded thoughtfully. 

Kaoru knew Princess Megumi… actually she knew her more than other people would expect. Kaoru was Megumi's younger sister… The Queen had disowned Kaoru because of her lack of suitors and her stubborn attitude. 

Many times her mom would try to get her a tutor, but every time she found one... Kaoru would somehow be able to scare them away. She either brought animals into the library or she annoyed the tutor with annoying ghost stories. Kaoru always knew that Megumi would be known for…

"She is well known for her beauty and elegance." 

Megumi wanted to be a doctor, but she's the oldest and their father never had a son, so Megumi was the heir to the throne even though she was woman. Kaoru often felt sorry for Megumi because she wanted to be something she knew the queen would never allow. Kenshin looked at Hiko. 

"Might as well go…" 

Hiko smiled. 

"This is wonderful. I will see that everything for your journey is prepared." Kenshin nodded and sat back down in his chair. He glared at Kaoru and started eating his food. 

'Damn woman! She ruined my best tunic!' 

Kenshin just silently fumed while Kaoru watched with amusement. She looked around and saw that everyone was just eating so she comfortably leaned over and politely ate her food. 

Kenshin could sense that something was wrong. She was acting so mannerly that it scared him. She was plotting something, he could feel it. Kenshin moved his seat a little way from her. He didn't really want to be embarrassed in front of the whole family. 

The whole family ate without any interruptions and soon, Kenshin began to relax. He wasn't expecting Kaoru to do what she did… 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I hope you liked it! Hit that button, k? **

**PLEASE! Your reviews make me feel better! LOL! Please!**

**Quote of the chapter: **

** Thou call'st me dog before though hadst cause, **

** But since I am a dog, beware my fangs. **

** -Shakespeare**


	3. Chapter Three

Author's Note: I was so happy to see more reviews. This could be the first time I get over a hundred on the tenth chappie… -_- I just want a lot of reviews! Too late to say 'Merry Christmas'… HAPPY EARLY NEW YEAR!!! I know my parents are going to throw another party… -_- It will be all adults, AGAIN! LOL! It doesn't matter… *sigh* Happy days! ^_^

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I only own the plot… -_- 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Three: The Bet_

_Hush your crying,_

_It'll be alright. _

_Just take my hand, _

_Hold it tight. _

_I will protect you, _

_From all around you. _

_I will be here, _

_Don't you cry._

_ -Phil Collins (??) _

Kaoru smirked as she put the finishing touches to her masterpiece. She sneaked out of the prince's room and stationed herself outside of his room. 

Kenshin stopped in front of his room and froze when he saw Kaoru's mischievous grin. 

"What did you do?" Kaoru just shook her head. 

"I don't know what you mean." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Princes these days! No respect!" 

Kenshin just shook his head and tried to hide his grin. She was just so… weird. She did things that amused him and at other times annoyed him. He wanted many times to just strangle her, but sometimes he just wanted to laugh and smile with her. 

He pulled off his tunic. (a/n: *drools and falls over*)

And climbed into his bed. The mattress was so soft and he immediately snuggled deeper into the mattress. It was so comfortable, then suddenly his bare flesh rubbed against something very sticky. Kenshin ignored it and pulled his covers over his head. Suddenly he felt something move next to him… Kenshin opened his eyes and sat up. Something landed on his lap he looked down at it and saw an earthworm. He balanced himself with one hand on the mattress and picked the offending earthworm up.

Suddenly something crawled over his hand and wiggled a little. Kenshin looked down at his hand and his eyes widened. 

All over his hand and his mattress were hundreds of slimy bugs. 

"HOLY SHIT! DAMNIT!" He bolted out of his bed wearing only his legging. On his bare chest were sticky earthworms that were able to latch onto his skin. He looked down at his body and felt disgusted. There were leaches on his arms and he immediately pulled them off, wincing when they snapped off. 

Kaoru leaned closer to the door when she heard Kenshin cursing loudly. She grinned to herself and bit her finger to keep her from laughing out loud.

"You, servant! Is my son in his quarters?" Kaoru nodded, trying desperately to hide her growing smile. She bowed her head in defeat and tried to conceal her laughter. She shook harder as she laughed silently. 

"Are you cold, Lady?" 

"Yes… yes, very cold!"

She giggled slightly, but covered it with a cough. 

"Lady, I think you might be coming down with a cold. Maybe you should dismiss to the servants dormitory." 

"Yes sir." 

Hiko nodded and went on his way. He walked past Kenshin's room and frowned. 

"Kami-sama! This is shit!"

Kenshin looked down at the insect infested mattress and slowly, very slowly counted to ten.

One… Two… Three… Aw SHIT! He couldn't take this anymore. This stupid! Kenshin ran out his bedroom door, unaware of what he was wearing… or, what he was not wearing. 

Kaoru hugged herself. The stupid prince deserved it! Suddenly, the door slammed open and caused Kaoru to jump. She looked into the open door and saw Kenshin standing there in nothing, but his legging… and that didn't hide much… in fact, it was really tight that she could see his leg muscles through the thin material. Kaoru blushed as her gaze lowered from his bare chest to something lower… She immediately slapped her hands over her eyes and hurriedly muttered all the curse words she knew. 

"Damn, shit, fuck, hell…" 

Kenshin looked down at the young beauty with wide eyes. He has never seen a woman with such a bad mouth. She cursed a lot for a young maiden and for some reason; he just wanted to know what made this woman tick. He wanted to know why she was the way she was. She intrigued him, and at the same time scared him. 

He wanted to know why she was a thief and what pushed her to crime. Kenshin looked down and immediately knew why she was embarrassed. His hands flew to his midsection to cover his… ahem. He looked around and saw that there was no one around except him and Kaoru. He glared down at her with his amber eyes. She looked up at him and matched his glare with one of her own. 

Each person's eyes narrowing into a dangerous slit, prompting the other to look away. Kaoru wasn't planning on backing out, neither was Kenshin. They just looked at stared at each other with venomous snarls. Kenshin's eyes flashed dangerously and the only thought that crossed his mind was, 'must strangle.' 

Kaoru's eyes twinkled mischievously and the only thought that crossed _her_ mind was, 'must strangle.' 

Yes, the _lovely_ couple was thinking the same thing. They both despised each other a lot, but you know what they say: The more you hate someone, the more you love them. 

"Why don't you two just kiss already?" Kenshin was the first to break contact. He looked to the side and saw Yahiko standing there beaming at him. Kaoru grinned at her small victory and followed Kenshin's gaze. 

Yahiko looked Kaoru up and down. 

"Yahiko, are finished in the stables?" 

"Yes, Prince Kenshin." Kenshin smiled and nodded. 

Kaoru looked at the little boy and smiled. 

"Aw! He's so cute! Yahiko-chan!" She put a hand on his head and smiled down at him. Yahiko just shook her hand off his head and glared at her. 

"Don't call me that!" Then he turned his gaze to Kenshin, "Why are you here with this **busu**?" 

Suddenly, Yahiko fell over with a large bump on his head. Kaoru slapped her hands together and smiled in satisfactory. 

"That's what you get for calling me 'busu,' Yahiko-**chan**." Yahiko got to his feet and dusted himself off. He ground his teeth together, trying to control his temper. 

"Don't call me that, BUSU!" Kaoru grabbed a wooden sword from the display rack. Yahiko looked at the sword and wondered if she would be able to wield it… then his mind wandered to the pain to come if she could. She raised it over her head and Yahiko took that as a sign to run. 

Kenshin watched the two with growing amusement. They looked like battling siblings and he thought that this could be the beginning of an _interesting_ trip to Princess Megumi's in Izu (a/n: I'm just making up names for the countries… -_-). Kaoru successfully executed an attack and had Yahiko on the ground with little bumps and bruises all over his body. Kaoru smiled in accomplishment. 

Kenshin laughed and Kaoru glared at him. 

"What are you laughing about?!" She picked up the wooden sword and approached him murderously. Before Kenshin could do anything he laying dizzily on the floor. 

"Oro…?" Kaoru looked down at him. She could have sworn that his eyes flashed lavender when he said 'oro.'

**_******_**_Few Hours Later**********_

****

**  
**Kaoru angrily stared at the wall of the dungeon. Why did he have to put her here? It was just a silly joke! It's not like anyone got hurt… She pounded her fist into the dirt and wondered if she would get breakfast in the morning. She better, cause if she didn't… let's just say something unpleasant would take place, like the murder of the prince… 

Kenshin shifted in the bed, worried that another worm will crawl on him. Since the incident, Kenshin got servants to clean every nook and cranny of his quarters. He looked around the room and sighed when everything looked normal. He was hoping that nothing would appear out of the blue… he was hoping that no bugs would be in his bed or snakes in his closet. He better keep that thought to himself, wouldn't want Kaoru to get any ideas. 

Most of all, Kenshin couldn't go to sleep because he was thinking of Kaoru… alone in that cold dungeon. Without a blanket or a pillow, all she had was a little cot in the corner of the cell. It must be unpleasant to sleep behind bars where everyone can see you. 

Kenshin smirked. "She deserved it." 

And with that he close his eyes to await the next day. 

As the sun rose, Kaoru woke up in a soft bed. She stretched and pulled the comforter off… Comforter…? Kaoru sat up in the bed and saw that she was in a wonderfully decorated room. Her eyes widened when she saw Kenshin sleeping in a chair next to her bed. She looked down at her body and saw that she was wearing a different tunic and legging. Her eyes flipped back to Kenshin and then she fisted her hands. 

"Oro?!" 

For the second time in two days, Kenshin fell to the floor with lumps on his head and Kaoru standing tall with her hands fisted in aggravation. 

"Hentai! How could you do this?!" She put her arms over her chest. 

"I didn't do anything, you worthless servant!" Kenshin replied while getting up. 

"Then how did I get into these clothes?!" She looked ready to hit Kenshin again. 

The Prince held his hand up and Kaoru stopped. "I had a woman servant change your clothes." 

"Oh…" Kaoru let her hands fall to her side. 

"I thought you seemed uncomfortable in the dungeon, so I brought you here since there was no room in the servants' dormitory."

"Oh…"

Kenshin looked up at her from the floor and saw that she was turning red with embarrassment. 

"Sorry about that… I'm sorry about the punch…" 

Kenshin got up and dusted off his worn tunic. 

"It's okay, just clean up my quarters and arrange my clothing for the trip, and when your finished with that, I would like for you to clean up the stables." 

Kaoru stared at Kenshin with incredulity. Didn't he feel like this was too much on the day before their trip? 

Kaoru glared at him and started to fix the bed. 

Kaoru sighed in accomplishment. She finally finished the tasks that Kenshin had given her. She was about to retire to the servants' dormitory when Kenshin stopped her. 

"I told you, there is no more room in the servants' dormitory. You will be sleeping in one of the guest rooms. Kaoru nodded and followed Kenshin down some halls. 

**_******_**_The next day**********_

"Good day, milady." 

Kaoru took a good look around. There wasn't any carriages to bear them to Izu. How were they going to get to Princess Megumi without a carriage? 

"Milord, where is our transportation?" 

"The prince has already sent the carriages off. His majesty doesn't like to travel in carriages. Two horses have been saddled up for you." 

Kenshin entered the scene and smiled at Kaoru.

"Does my lady know how to ride?" He grinned mockingly at Kaoru. She sized him up. 

"Of coarse I can. I bet that I can outride his majesty." Kaoru looked at him with a glint in her eyes. 

Kenshin pulled on his riding gloves. "Is that a challenge?" 

Kaoru cocked her eyebrow, "Is his majesty willing to accept?" 

"Yes and the reward is a kiss." 

"That isn't fair!" 

"Yes it is. If I win, I get a kiss from you. If you win, you can either claim your prize or not." Kenshin laughed at Kaoru's incredulous expression. 

"We ride out at sunset and the first to reach Yokohama wins."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I didn't really know what to put in this chapter so I thought about the bet! LOL! I hope it was okay and that you all liked it! Please remember to review… it would make me very happy to see a new review! **

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**_ Dreams are the children of our souls. _**

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**I'm working on the next chapter! **

**Don't worry about me giving up on this story! I will never give up on this story! And right now my grandmother is screaming at me and all I want is silence. God she's always talking about how I should act like other people! She just wants me to be like a stupid nobody who doesn't do anything, but what other people wants them to do. I hate this… oh well! **

**LOL! Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	4. Chapter Four

Author's Note: I was so happy to see more reviews. This could be the first time I get over a hundred on the tenth chappie… -_- I'm kind of mad right now! Those stupid bank people!! . Kill!! Must kill!! 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I only own the plot… -_- 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Four: The Long Afternoon_

_You make me so excited, _

_And I don't want to fight it. _

_I start to blush, _

_You are my sugar rush, _

_There's nothing better, baby._

_Is it for real or maybe?_

_I start to blush, _

_You are my sugar rush._

_ -A Teens_

"But, it's not fair! Why do you get to choose the prize?!"

"I'm the prince." He simply stated walking away.

"But, couldn't it be something like bragging rights… or money!" 

"Like you have some." He turned and gave Kaoru a skeptical look. She simply bowed her head to hide her embarrassment. She was poor. She couldn't afford anything, so what else could she give him…?

"I'll stop speaking for a week." 

"Nope, a kiss is what the prize will be. Not that I _want_ to kiss you, it's just that's all you have to give." Kenshin grinned at Kaoru, who glared angrily at him. 

"You're so… so…"

"Handsome, good-looking, intelligent... you know this could go on." 

"Don't kid yourself. I was going to say ugly, unfair, and dumb." 

"You seriously don't know who your talking too." 

"I'm sorry; I thought I was talking to a jackass." She spoke with a low drawling voice. Kenshin was immediately offended and he was about to reach out and strangle her when his father arrived. Kenshin looked up at King Hiko.

"Baka-deshi. Did you already send the carriages?"

Kenshin nodded, "Yes milord." 

"You forgot to send the gifts!" Hiko punched Kenshin into the ground, giving Kenshin a large bump on the head. 

"Now I have to get another carriage to send the gifts. Baka-deshi! You and your horseback riding. I seriously don't understand you." Hiko walked away with his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth. 

Kenshin rubbed his sore head. Kaoru just grinned at him. 

"Baka-deshi…" She mimicked Hiko's low, growling voice. She broke out laughing at the expression on Kenshin's face. Did she really mimic Hiko's voice perfectly? No… it was more of a sore throat voice… Kenshin slowly got up. 

"I think we should give the horses a little exercise. And, if it is possible, I'll give you a horseback riding lesson." Kenshin gave her a cocky wink and watched in amusement as Kaoru's face grew red… almost as red as a tomato. Kaoru looked ready to attack Kenshin, but later thought better of it. She had to concentrate on winning this race. She wouldn't let Kenshin win her first kiss. 

Kaoru walked behind Kenshin as he led her to the stables. (a/n: I have stables in both my Rurouni Kenshin stories… -_-)

Kaoru looked in awe at the magnificent stallions. They were all so beautiful. Kaoru spotted a red haired mare and instantly fell in love with it. It had wonderful, strong shoulders built for endurance and long graceful legs for speed and poise. She loved the horse already. Kaoru walked to it and gently placed her hand on its nose. The cool moist nose moved under her touch and she smiled. She looked into the huge black eyes of the horse and felt like somewhere in them was a real person. The horse's eyes held intelligence, as if it could understand all that happened. Her hands traveled to its ears and then down its silky mane. It was a lovely horse and she wanted to ride it. Kaoru looked at Kenshin who was getting a pair saddles and smiled. 

She led the horse out of the stall and gently laid her hands on its back. It was so soft! Kaoru hoisted herself onto the horse and let it trot right out the stable doors. Kenshin heard the sound of hooves on stone, but ignored it. He turned to ask Kaoru which horse she was taking, only to find that she was gone and one of the horses was gone too. Kenshin sighed. When will this girl just behave! Kenshin carried the saddle and blanket outside to look for Kaoru, knowing that she already must have chosen a horse. He smiled when he saw her riding a horse with a large smile plastered on her face. For once she didn't seem dangerous, mischievous, or angry… she just seemed happy and free. Kenshin just had to smile as she laughed and rode the horse around the small field. It was then that Kenshin noticed which horse she was riding. 

"Her name is Apples, but you can't use that horse." 

Kaoru jumped down from the horse. 

"Why?"

She looked so sad. Had she already loved the horse? Apparently she did. Kenshin sighed. He vowed that no one would ever use that horse again. It had been Tomoe's, his ex-fiancé. Tomoe was so happy when she saw the horse. He had given it to her as a birthday gift and she had taken to the horse immediately. He remembered her smooth hands wandering over the horses back. He remembered her smiling and saying her name for the first time. 

_"Apples… that's what I'll name him…"_

There was the faintest hint of a smile on her face. The smallest and most purest smile she had given him. That day, he was so happy that he was able to cause her that smile. That small smile. 

Kenshin was brought out of his thoughts when Kaoru placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Why can't I ride her?" 

"Because… it belonged to someone I once knew… I don't want anyone to ride her." Kaoru looked downcast, but reluctantly agreed. He looked so serious when he said that. It just scared her to see him so sad; although there was a small smile on his face, his eyes reflected all the sorrow he held and she read the pain like an open book. 

"I'm sorry… I'll put her back in the stable…" Kaoru slowly led the horse into the stables. Kenshin looked out into the fields and finally realized that this was the place where he had last seen Tomoe. 

_"I'm sorry Kenshin…"_

_"What are you talking about Tomoe?"_

_"I'm really sorry…"_

_"There's nothing to be sorry about."_

_"Yes… yes… there is…"_

_"You can tell me anything, what's wrong?"_

_"I'm really, really sorry…" _

_"Tomoe… there are tears in your eyes… what happened?"_

_"Kenshin…"_

_"Tomoe…"_

_"I'm sorry, but…"_

_"What?"_

_"I fell in love…"_

_"I love you."_

_"But, it wasn't you…" _

_"But, I love you…"_

_"It wasn't you…"_

Kenshin sighed and closed his eyes before any tears could escape from them. That was the first and last time he cried. She was gone. She loved another and married another. It wasn't him… 

He thought that there was no problem in their relationship. He thought that they were happy together and they would grow old together as a married couple. He never thought that they would be distanced and he never thought that she'd fall for another. He peeked into the stable and saw Kaoru whispering gently to the horse and instantly she reminded him of how Tomoe would do that every morning. Tomoe never smiled except at that horse. Kenshin felt that he had to keep her only happiness alive. He felt that since Apples was Tomoe's happiness, he had to love it and cherish it like he would her. 

Kenshin frowned. Maybe he should just let her ride the horse, after all making sure that no one rides won't bring Tomoe back. Kaoru looked so sad too. He just wanted to put her smile back on her face. Kenshin put a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. He smiled down at her curious face and he handed her a blanket. 

"Better get saddled up. The horse needs exercise before the long trip."

"You mean I can… that I can ride her?!" 

Kenshin just nodded and watched as Kaoru's face lit up with happiness. She really wanted to ride the horse, huh? Kaoru smiled and wrapped her arms around Kenshin. 

"Thank you!" 

Kenshin just stood there, unsure of what to do. He hesitantly pat her head and then pulled away. Kaoru happily skipped to the horse. 

"I get to ride you! Isn't that wonderful?!" The horse softly snorted and Kaoru wrapped her arms around the horse's neck. She just loved the beautiful beast. She gently placed the blanket on her back, folding the edge at the base of its neck. Kaoru, then ran to the saddle rack and picked up the heavy leather mass. Kenshin saw Kaoru struggling under the weight, but before he could offer any help, she ran back to the horse and saddled her up. 

Was this what happened when she was happy? 

I guess so. 

Did he want her to act like this all the time? 

It seems so. 

Kenshin just shook his head with a smile on his face and hurriedly saddled his own horse, Yu. His horse was pure with a long sagging mane. It was a majestic beast like most of the horses in the stable. It had broad shoulders built for strength and a powerful run. His horse was built for speed and endurance. Kenshin was proud of his stallion, seeing as he raised it from a little calf. He gently ran his fingers through the horse's hair and smiled. He loved riding his horse. 

The couple led their horses out of the stables by the reigns and swiftly hoisted themselves onto the saddle seat. They rode out into the larger fields and stopped once in a while to let their horses graze. Wouldn't want to tire them out!

Kaoru sat under a huge oak tree and sneaked a look at Kenshin. She didn't understand what was wrong with him. Earlier they were bickering like little kids and now it was just silence… She hated that word. She hated silence. Many things can happen in silence and there would be no sound to point it out. Kaoru sighed aloud and wanted to do something to get Kenshin mad. She didn't know why, but she liked it when he was mad. For some reason, it just seemed better than having him quiet. 

_Why am I worried about that snot-nosed prince?!_

_Maybe it's because you care._

_I don't care about this bastard! I seriously don't care what in the hell happens to him!_

_And yet… you want to know what he's thinking._

_I don't know…_

_You want to know why he's sad. You want to know what made the proud prince break._

_I want to know what touched him in a way I never thought anyone could._

_You saw sorrow and unrequited love in his eyes._

_Who was the love for?_

_Who the hell cares?_

_I don't know…_

_Just keep telling yourself that._

_I just want to make him happy…_

_But, is that possible for a thief?_

_The better question is, is that possible for me?_

Kenshin looked down at Kaoru. She seemed to be thinking of something, but he couldn't find out what she was thinking about. It was almost sunset and their race would begin. He seriously didn't know why he demanded the kiss as a prize. He probably just wanted to see her get mad, plus what else could she give him? Money? Ha! She was a thief, what did that tell you? 

She seemed to be arguing with herself because her eyes narrowed in concentration and her brow furrowed in confusion. Suddenly Kaoru hit Kenshin on the head, full force. 

"STOP STARING AT ME!" 

Kenshin fell to the ground with a dumb look on his face and so ended their long afternoon. The race was about to start and the only thought that flit through Kaoru's mind was, 'must win this damned race…'

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**This chapter was kind of dramatic… alright! It _was _dramatic! I hope you guys don't mind, it's just that I mostly do drama and angst fics… -_- I promise there won't be a lot of drama chapters in this story, it was just that this idea came into my head and I thought it would be cool to put it in the story. **

**PLEASE DON'T BE MAD!!!**

**And REVIEW!!**


	5. Chapter Five

Author's Note: OMG! I have 109 reviews! Pinch me! I MUST be dreaming!! *pinches herself* OUCH! I guess I'm not… unless my vision is getting worse… WAH! TELL ME I'M NOT CRAZY AND REVIEW! Thanks to people who sent me info on horses. I don't ride, nor do I really know a lot about them… I just assumed that they would be that way… -_- No, that's not true. I actually typed down what I had read in books and stuff like that. Most books I read are about 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I don't own a private jet and I don't own Rurouni Kenshin… WAH!!!! 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Fifteen: The Race Begins_

_It takes a million snowflakes to make a blanket of snow. _

_It takes a billion stars to light up the darkest skies. _

_But, it just takes a single rose to fall in love with you. _

'Must win this damn race!' 

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin and saw that he was grinning arrogantly down at her. She resisted the urge to punch him really hard. Kaoru angrily wrung her gloves before pulling them on. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She didn't want to lose. Kaoru's first kiss… she wanted it to be with someone special…

Kaoru pursed her lips in frustration. 

"Are you practicing for that kiss I'm going to win?" 

Kaoru glared at Kenshin and stuck her tongue out at him. Why did he have to be so cocky? Kaoru turned her head away and saw that her horse, Apples, was running along the plains with Kenshin's horse, Yu. She smiled as the horses gently brushed against each other and neighed softly. 

"When will the race start?" 

"When I say it will." 

Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest. He was so arrogant… she wondered if he had any friends. She wondered if he was… _lonely_. 

"Are you lonely sometimes?" 

"No, I'm the prince. Why would I be?" 

"It's just that you're an arrogant bastard that doesn't care who he hurts just to get what he wants." 

"You're just trying to weasel your way out of the bet because you know I'm going to win."

"You're mean."

"That is a hurtful insult, you wound me." 

Kaoru huffed and turned her head away. 'Evil…' 

She cracked open one eye and saw Kenshin staring straight ahead. She opened both her eyes and followed his gaze. He was staring at the sun as it slowly dipped downward. 

"Let's get our horses." 

**_******_**

****

****

"Mother!"

"Megumi, dear… what's wrong?"

"Pardon me, mother, but I've been troubled as of late."

"What troubles you?"

"Must I marry this Prince Himura?"

"You must carry on the royal line and produce an heir for the throne."

"But, mother… he's…" 

"I don't see what's wrong with the prince."

"But, he's… sh-"

"You haven't met him, yet. Please don't make assumptions that are not needed. I've heard that he is a very…"

"Mother! He's short!"

"Megumi!" 

"Mother!"

"Megumi!" Her mother was shaking by now. How dare she mock the prince?! Would he want to marry such an insolent woman?!

"Mother!" 

"Megumi! This is childish!" 

"Mother! This is so unreasonable!"

"Megumi…" 

The moment suddenly tensed and neither spoke a word. Megumi glanced warily at her mother and was ready to run out if her mother tried anything strange. Megumi was suddenly scared that her mother would _force_ her to marry Prince Himura…

"Megumi…. He is a prince of high esteem! Their country is rich in all it's imports AND exports! Don't mess this up, my dear…" 

The way she said 'dear' made her suddenly remembers her younger sister Kaoru. It's been a while since she last seen Kaoru. Last year her mother had told her that Kaoru went to their uncle to 'calm down' as her mother would say. Kaoru wasn't as _mature_ as Megumi and so scared off her tutors and most of her suitors. 

"You shouldn't immediately hate him because of _that_. It's not even a reason why you shouldn't marry him. I've heard that he is very intelligent, you can talk to him about… stuff you know." 

Inside her head Megumi scowled and mocked her mother, but her face showed no sign of distaste. She only frowned slightly. 

Megumi pouted suddenly and seemed to revert back to her childish times. She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her bottom lip out.

"This stinks…"

"Megumi, not stinks. Use horrid." 

"This is absolutely horrid." Megumi replied, stretching out the word to make sure her mother understood her frustration and impatience. 

Megumi wondered why Kaoru didn't come back home yet… she kind of missed picking on her… okay, okay. She DID miss picking on her. 

**_******_**

"Are you ready?" 

Kaoru just nodded as she mounted her horse. Kenshin got one of the servants to draw a starting line. 

"Here are the rules. No cheating, a clean race. The inns are the checkpoints. If you are in the lead, you must leave some kind of token to signify that you were there. We race till the inn at Yokohama. The first one there wins."

Kaoru nodded. She knew that there was no way that she could back down from this race. She knew that Kenshin would make sure she raced against him… it was times like this when Kaoru wished she didn't fight back. Kaoru's fingers wandered to her lips. She didn't want him to have her lips. She didn't want him to have anything dealing with her. 

Kenshin just grinned at her. See you in Yokohama!" 

And the race began. Kenshin spurred his horse forwards before Kaoru could do anything. She turned red with anger and pressed her horse forwards. She could feel Apple's muscles contracting with every step as her horse ran with her hooves beating against the hard stone. 

Kaoru concentrated on the dirt road and smiled when Kenshin and his pure white horse came into view. They were so close… she could feel victory looming over her, but then again… it was just the start of the race. Might as well as pace yourself. 

She looked to the side and saw the forest, then a thought popped into her mind. He never said you couldn't _cheat_. Kaoru pulled the reigns of her horse and dashed through the forest. She smiled as she rode through the trees, bushes, and shrubbery in the forest. Kaoru felt so open when she was there because there was no one to see her. No one around to tell her what she was doing wrong. She smiled as she pushed her horse faster. 

Kenshin looked behind him to make sure that Kaoru was still there, but when he did… she was no where in sight. This confusion slowed Kenshin down and then, out of no where, Kaoru popped out of the forest in all her glory and sped past a very confused Kenshin. When the idea finally dawned on him, he grinned and continued to ride. 

They rode hard till finally they made it to the first checkpoint. Kaoru checked into the inn and walked up the stairs to her room. She smiled and collapsed on the bed. Tomorrow would be a new day and they had two more checkpoints before making it to Yokohama. 

Looking forward to tomorrow, she fell asleep as she smiled at her near 'victory.'

****

**_******_**

"Is everything ready?" 

"Yes." 

"Where is he?" 

"He is nearing Yokohama. He has no servants with him." 

"No one is with him...?" 

"No sir. He's with a woman…" 

"Who?" 

The man grinned and whispered her name. 

"Things are falling into place."

A cold grin danced on his lips and he dispatched a few archers and footmen to Yokohama. 

"Yes, everything is perfect." 

"Lord, do you think he will put up a struggle?" 

"Yes… but we will be victorious." 

"Yes, my liege." 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I hope you liked it… a little shorter than usual… -_- I'm so sorry about that, but I just wanted to update soon. LOL! **

**I hope to see a new review! Just hit that little button down there! *smiles***

**Happy days! ^_^**


	6. Chapter Six

Author's Note: Wow! All these will review never cease to amaze me… I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS!!!!! Please be sure to review before you go. 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I will never own Rurouni Kenshin… and that's sad! 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Six: Yokohama, here we come!_

_Can you believe me?_

_Still sitting pretty with a pistol in hand._

_Learning to love you, _

_Will you be my man? _

_ -Reynada Hill_

Kaoru awoke the next morning completely relaxed. She looked out of the window and knew that she had awoken before Kenshin. She wondered if he woke up early in the morning. He was a prince; he probably didn't even know what early meant. Kaoru sighed and marched herself into the bathing house. She opened the door and silently slipped out of her sweaty tunic. She dumped her tunic into a basin full of water. 

"Oro?" 

Kaoru turned around and screamed. There was Kenshin, halfway dunked in the tub of water. She slapped her hands over her eyes before they had the chance to journey farther; It was then that she remembered that she was only wearing a thin under shirt. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Kenshin. 'Hentai…' 

"What are you doing?!" 

"Taking a bath, obviously." 

"But, I was going to take a bath!" 

Kenshin grinned down at Kaoru. "You can always join me." 

"No way in hell." 

"Have it your way." 

Kenshin started to lather himself with some soap. Humming silently to himself he took a glance at the very red Kaoru standing behind him. She was clutching the towel so tightly that he swore she would explode if she let it go. Kenshin turned his attention back to the soap in his hand. He hummed louder.

Kaoru looked ready to explode and beat Kenshin up, but she had self-control. It didn't seem like it sometimes, but she still had it. Kaoru felt so sticky and dirty, and she didn't want to wait longer because he would continue the race without her. She packed up her dignity and put it on hold for a while and climbed into the rather 'small' tub. 

Kenshin heard a splash of water and saw that Kaoru had joined him in the tub. He grinned. 

"Seems you can't resist me." 

"Don't flatter yourself."

"You know you want me." 

"Shut up." 

"That's not the way to talk to your prince." 

"Your majesty, will you shut up?" 

"That's a start, but it should be more like this: 'Your majesty, take me! I'm all yours!'" Kenshin gasped, clasping and unclasping his hands. 

"Don't make me sick." 

Suddenly Kaoru felt two strong arms wrap around her. "Does this make you sick?" 

Kaoru gripped the towel tighter. "Let me go." 

"Not until you tell me, does this make you sick?" 

Kaoru growled loudly. "Yes!" Kenshin's arms tightened around her pulling her closer to his 'nude' body. 

"Wrong answer." He leaned down and gently licked Kaoru's exposed neck. 

"Ewww… Let me go!" 

"Certainly, I'm finished here anyway." Kenshin climbed out of the tub and it was then that he realized his mistake. Yup, Kenshin had exposed himself to the whole world to see, thank gods the bathing house had no windows. Kaoru once again slapped her hands over her eyes. 

Kenshin blushed red and grabbed his tunic and leggings and put them on. He walked out the door without another word. Kaoru smiled as she was left with the tub all to herself. She climbed out so she could hang her soaking tunic, and then went back into the tub. 

**_******_**

Kaoru was once again on the road with her horse, Apples. Her clothes were kind of damp, but she didn't mind it. She looked up and saw that Kenshin was still ahead of her. Kaoru pushed her horse faster, the desire to beat Kenshin burned in her veins. She had to win, she needed to win. 

Once again, Kaoru began to pull past Kenshin. She pressed her horse faster and so did Kenshin. It wasn't a matter of who wins and who doesn't; it was a matter of who was the best and Kaoru wanted to be the best. It was something she simply could not run from. She was a very competitive person when it came to sports and games. 

In a sudden burst of speed, Kenshin's horse brushed past hers and he waved over his shoulder. Kaoru was highly annoyed by this and stuck her middle finger up although he couldn't see her. 

Kaoru felt something splash against her skin and she looked up… it was starting to rain. The sky filled with dark clouds till it looked like it was night and rain dropped on her skin and clothes causing them to soak up the moisture. 

"Damn." 

Her cloak was in her pack which was saddled right behind her. She didn't want to reach back in fear of losing control of the horse and she didn't want to stop in fear of losing the race. 

"Damn, damn, damn…" 

It could be her new song, who knew? But with the way she recited each word, it might as well be one. It was cold, very cold. She didn't enjoy riding her horse in the rain… with her lips on the line, she felt _very_ calm. Hint the sarcasm.

She drew closer and closer to Kenshin, but no matter how much she pushed her horse, it wouldn't go faster. He cursed it… he did something so he would win. 

Kaoru sighed heavily as she slapped her horse beneath her. 

"Faster, faster, faster!" 

They road all day till they finally made it to their third checkmark. Yokohama was the next town and lastly, their finishing mark. Kaoru sighed as she entered the inn. 

"I hate him."

She wrung her hair dry and flipped it over her shoulder. 

"Hey! Watch it!" Kaoru immediately recognized the voice of that arrogant bastard prince, Kenshin Himura. She hated him with passion. 

Kenshin could see it in her eyes; the fire that flickered, the spirit, and determination. She wanted to beat him and that's what made this race all the more fun. He _was_ going to win and there was nothing Kaoru could do to stop him. Grinning down at her, he dumped his soaking wet cloak onto her causing her to get more wet. 

"You… you monkey!" Kaoru was so red that he swore she made a tomato feel bad. She looked kind of cute that way… 'kind of' being the key words here. 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Another chappie! **

**I hope you all loved the chapter! It's kind of cliché, but oh well! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!!! Too bad this chappie is too short… that's sad! But, review anyway!**


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: Wow! All these will review never cease to amaze me… I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS!!!!! Please be sure to review before you go. 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I will never own Rurouni Kenshin… and that's sad! 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Seven: The winner is…?_

_In the quiet misty morning, _

_When the moon has gone to bed,_

_When the sparrows stop their singing,_

_And the sky is clear and red. _

_ -Folk song/ Homeward Bound_

Kaoru sighed as she looked out the window. It was late at night, she was at the last check point, and the only thing stopping her from victory was the rain. She sighed once more. 'Stupid prince.' 

'I have to win this race!' She looked outside _again_ and the desire to win grew within her. 'Its just a little rain, it wouldn't hurt to ride in the rain.' Kaoru grabbed her cloak off the stand and left coins on the counted. She also left a token that Kenshin had given her as a sign that she had already passed. 

She pulled her hood over her head and ran out into the rain. She pulled her horse out of the stables and threw herself in the saddle. She HAD to win this damned race, by all means possible. Kaoru looked towards the inn and lifted her head in defiance; she didn't want to lose to the spoiled prince. It annoyed her how he always acted as if he could get whatever she wanted. 

Kaoru rode all day and soon enough she saw Yokohama. It had stopped raining only minutes ago and she was still damp, but because of her near 'victory' she didn't care. The wind whipped around her and chills ran up and down her spine, but she didn't care. Her victory was so close and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way. Kaoru's face broke into a large smile as she entered the town. 

"Thank Kami!" She ran into the inn and… stopped dead in her tracks. 

There was Kenshin leaning on the counter, evidently flirting with the inn keeper's daughter. Kaoru felt anger build up in her. 

"How did you get here?!" 

"If you had waited till morning, I would have showed you the shortcut." He wiggled his finger in front of her face. 

Kaoru attempted to slap his finger away, but he pulled back and pats her head. 

"Bastard!" 

"I win, so I guess that would mean you have to kiss me." Kaoru glared up at him and puckered up her lips. 

Kenshin looked down at Kaoru. She was soaking wet that it wasn't even funny. Her face was scrunched up in a snarl and her lips were puckered up ready to 'kiss' him. Kenshin leaned down towards her and gently cupped her cheek. 

He grinned as she trembled. He slowly closed the gap between them…

Kaoru could feel his breath against her face and knew that he was about to take her first kiss. Then, suddenly he pulled away. Kaoru didn't know why, but she felt a mix of relief and annoyance. It was like some part of her wanted him to kiss her. 

"Maybe I'll claim my prize some other time. If I kiss you now, it would be like kissing a frog." Kaoru looked flabbergasted. 

"Plus, it's not like I _want_ to kiss you, I just want it to be a little less…" He gave Kaoru the once over, "wet. I should at least enjoy it too." 

"You self praising, arrogant, son of a bit-" Kenshin put a finger against her lips. 

"Uh-uh-uh… wouldn't want to be charged with treason, now would we?" 

"Bastard!" 

Kaoru wrapped her arm around his neck and held him in a tight headlock. 

Kenshin gasped in surprise and his eyes widened when he couldn't move. He grasped Kaoru's arm and tried to pry it off, but she wouldn't let go. 

'How strong can she be?' 

Fed up, he grabbed her waist and threw her upon the floor. Kaoru immediately let go of his neck and gasped in pain. She sat up and rubbed her back. 

"Evil…"

**_******_**_At Night**********_

****

****

Kaoru was really mad at Kenshin. She wanted to do something really bad to him, that's why she was in front of his door with a lit candle in one hand and a bucket of mud in the other. Kaoru looked down at the bucket… it was mean and she knew that, but she didn't care. He _did_ technically call her a frog. He should be honored that he was about to kiss her! 

'I mean look at me!' Kaoru thought angry as she replayed the memory over and over again in her head. 

She gently pushed open the door and silently tiptoed into the room with the bucket in her hands. She had left the candle beside the door because she didn't want him to wake up. 

She saw his small futon in the corner of the room and slowly pulled down the covers, but no one was there. Kaoru looked down at little frightened. What if he had anticipated this?! Oh no… she would be in deep shit right now…

Suddenly a sharp blow to Kaoru's head caused her to fall sprawled on the empty futon. The bucket of mud laid forgotten as three men walked out with Kaoru and Kenshin slung carelessly over their shoulders. 

**_******_**

****

****

"Did he accept?" 

"No sir." 

"What happened?" 

"The woman with him is in our custody. We told him if he wanted to see her, he should reconsider." 

"Is she here?" 

"Yes, my liege." 

"Shinimori will be a very great addition to my army." 

"The woman will be awaking soon."

"Good." 

"The prince has been captured and their bringing a woman with him too." 

"My plan is slowly unfolding." 

Shishio looked down at his servant with a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

**_******_**

Kaoru slowly woke up, but couldn't move. She wiggled a little and found that her arms were bound behind her. 'Not again.' 

Why did she always have to wake up _tied_ up?

Kaoru moved more and tried to unbind herself. Suddenly there was a sharp nudge from next to her. Kaoru's head snapped up and she glared in the direction. It was Kenshin. 

"Where are we?" 

"I don't know." 

"…"

"…" 

Kaoru's stomach grumbled a little. 

"Do you have something to eat?" 

"No." 

"Oh…" 

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Okay, let me get this straight. We're tied up?" 

"Yes." 

"We don't know where in the hell we are?"

"Correct." 

"And you're still being a bastard?" 

"Precisely." 

"Oh, that's rich! All of a sudden my life seems so complete. Just let me die now and I'd be happy!" 

"It can be arranged." 

Kaoru glared at Kenshin. She wiggled more desperately. 

"What are you DOING?" 

"What does it look like?" 

"It looks like you need to piss." 

"Very funny." 

"I know, aren't I?" 

Kaoru just ignored him and wiggled faster. She did NOT want to be tied up with Kenshin sitting next to her. He was going to **bother **her. She could tell right now that this would be unpleasant. 

"You there. What's wrong?" 

Kaoru looked up and saw a big burly man standing over her. She swallowed loudly and stopped wiggling immediately. 

"No-nothings wrong…" 'Except for the fucking fact that I'm tied up and you're not, everything's _fine_.' 

The man seemed to be satisfied with the answer and walked away. 

"When we get out of here, he's the first one I'm going to kill." 

Kenshin looked a bit skeptical at the idea, but didn't say anything. He knew how Kaoru got when she was provoked. He rather be safe than sorry. 

Kaoru just took one more glare at the man, then turned her back at them and slept… wait a minute! 

'How can she just sleep at a time like this?! Doesn't she care that_ my _life is in danger?!' Sighing loudly Kenshin nudged her a few times and fell asleep himself. 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

** I hope you liked it, kind of short… -_- I have a major writers block! NO!!!**

**I ALSO NEED REVIEWS TO HELP ME ALONG THE WAY!!! LOL! Be sure to review!!**

**Review!!!**

**Review!!!**

**Review!!!**

**Review!!!**

**Review!!!**


	8. Chapter Eight

Author's Note: Okay! Not really happy, but not really feeling bad either… -_- I guess I'm just a little tired. Oh well… I'm not really sure if this will be a great chapter, I just hope you all like it! I tried to put more humor in the story. Does anyone know where I can get the manga called "Tsubasa Wo Matsu Mono?" I really need to read the third chappie! I only downloaded the first 2 chapters and fell in love with it… -_- I need MORE!!!!! Oh well, just send me some info! Check out my other fic that I just finished! I'm so happy that it's finally done! I kind of think that it went downhill, but some people still liked it so everything is okay! I have to read to Odyssey even though I've read it before…-_-

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: BAH HUMBUG! Their not mine and I'm mad! o( . )o

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Eight: On Your Knees!_

_Ring the bell, Ring the bell, _

_If I lie, I'll go to hell._

- _Got it from a book/ The King's Garden…_

Kenshin woke up to sharp constant nudges. The continuity of the small pushes started to irritate him, but he tried to ignore it; a man can only live to a certain point… Kenshin's amber eyes cracked open and he saw that it was NOT Kaoru who was struggling next to him, but the bandit that she had claimed she wanted to kill first. Kenshin gasped and wildly looked around. Where was Kaoru?! 

_Don't tell me she left me here!_

Kenshin started wiggling furiously to escape his bonds. Suddenly, Kaoru appeared before him. 

"You finally woke up! I was planning to leave you, but I knew you would 'punish' me when you somehow escape…" 

Kaoru smiled mockingly at Kenshin. 

"Just GET ME OUT of these bonds." Kaoru stroked her chin as if contemplating whether she should or she should not. 

"Only if you do what I tell you!" Kenshin looked up at her. 

"What?" 

"You heard me, just do what I say and you'll be free… well, not really. But, you won't be tied to the tree!" 

"Okay, whatever. What do you want?" 

"When I release the bonds I want you to apologize to me." 

"That's all?"

Kaoru smiled. "On you knees." 

"What?!" 

Kaoru knew it would be shameful for Kenshin to do that for he would be bowing to a thief and he's the PRINCE! Kaoru resisted the urge to laugh. 

"Apologize to me on your knees." 

"On… on the ground!" 

"On the sky, if you want to make it harder!" 

"Okay, fine!" 

Kaoru smiled and took out a dagger that was hidden in her sleeve. She cut through Kenshin's bond and stood in front of him expectantly. 

"Well?" 

"Oh, right." 

Kenshin slowly got on his knees, but recoiled when his knees touched the dirt. "It's dirty!" 

"Deal with it." 

"My clothes will be ruined." 

"Do I care?"

"You should, you're the one who's going to clean them."

"How 'bout I get the other bandits here?" 

Kenshin looked at her with wide eyes. She was crazy! She looked up at him with her piercing blue eyes and took a deep breath. Kenshin's eyes widened… she wouldn't… would she? Suddenly, she emitted a small screech before Kenshin's hand slapped over her mouth, smothering her scream. 

"Okay, okay! You win…" Kenshin got on the floor. "I'm sorry," he said dully. 

"You have to be more enthusiastic."

"I'm so sorry!" Kenshin replied with a singsong voice. 

"Okay, let's go." 

She turned and left. Kenshin followed her into the thicket. They started walking aimlessly in the woods. 

Kenshin stared at Kaoru's back. She was being unusually quiet. "It's your fault we were caught!" 

Kaoru looked back at Kenshin… _my fault_? Kenshin grinned and continued… "If you had arrived at the inn sooner, we would be at the castle right now! But, no… you had to take your sweet, precious time!" 

"Damn it! You had a SHORT CUT!" 

"That's no excuse." Kenshin crossed his arms and turned his head away with his nose pointed upwards. 

"I'm seriously going to hurt you if you don't stop." 

Kenshin just looked at her mockingly. 

_That's it!_

"DAMN YOU!" Kaoru leapt on Kenshin with her hands ready to punch him. Kenshin immediately dodged to the side, but Kaoru followed him with a powerful kick which caused Kenshin to fall into a puddle of mud. 

How could he underestimate her like that?! Kenshin spat some mud out and tried to wipe his face with his hands. 

"You're seriously going to be in big trouble." 

Kaoru just laughed at him. Then suddenly she stopped. "What's wrong now?" 

Kaoru looked at him. "I just realized something." 

"What?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She chirped as she looked up at his, rapidly batting her eyelashes. 

"WHAT?!" Kenshin grabbed Kaoru and put her in a strong headlock. "Tell me!" 

"It's a secret!" Kenshin angrily ruffled her hair. 

"What is it?" 

"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you!" Kaoru winked up at Kenshin, who just ruffled her hair harder. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" 

"Nothing, just the fact that you're being a freakin' monkey."

"I'm serious, tell me!" 

"Why do you want to know so badly?!" 

"Stop evading my questions!"

"Oh! Big word…" 

Kenshin looked down at Kaoru when she trailed off. She seemed to be staring at something in the forest. "I seriously feel like I've been here before… That's all…" 

Suddenly everything seemed so serious. Kenshin let Kaoru go and she collapsed on her knees. "You're hurt!" 

"I'm not! It's just… this place…" 

_"I never want to see you come to the castle again!" _

"… it brings back… something I want to forget…" 

_"You are worthless! I tried to give you everything I could, but you threw it back in my face! "_

"I never… I never wanted…" 

_"You are no longer my daughter. Although I brought you into this world, you have trampled everything I worked for."_

"to be… to be left…" 

_"You worthless, ungrateful child! Why couldn't you understand what I wanted for you?" _

"Behind…" 

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin and attempted to smile to lighten the mood, but he just frowned at her. Kenshin kneeled down, getting his already dirty clothes even dirtier. 

"So that's why you became a thief?" 

"Yes…" 

"Who left you?" 

"My mother." Kenshin looked down at her surprised. He had expected her to shout at him to mind his own business. 

"Who was your mother? What was she like?" 

"I always thought she was an angel. A wonderful angel… she was the most wonderful person in the world to me." 

_A three year old Kaoru runs up the stairs and latches on her mother's skirt._

_"Look what I caught, mommy!" Kaoru held up a little rabbit. It was still dirty, but that didn't matter to the little toddler. Kaoru smiled up at her mother with little sparkles in her hair. _

_"That's nice, dear. Come give mommy a hug."_

"I… I'm not exactly who you think I am… I'm…" 

_"You're nothing without the crown! Kaoru, why can't you become more like your sister Megumi?! You're driving all of your suitors away… and at the rate that this is going, you'll never be married! You'll grow old and never bear any children!" _

"I'm someone that will never fit in…"

"Wait! Those bandits are coming! I can hear them…" Kenshin stood up and looked around. His eyes narrowed and flashed a dangerous amber color. He took a glance at Kaoru and his gave softened. 

"Girl, we have to go…" Kaoru attempted to get up, but collapsed back down. Kenshin looked down at her leg and saw that she probably slipped on a patch of mud. The voices of the bandits grew louder. 

"Please don't get mad…" 

Kaoru was about to ask why, when suddenly Kenshin scooped her up in his arms. Kaoru let out a screech. There was a sudden rustle and it was quite evident that the bandits had heard Kaoru's scream. 

"Stupid girl! Why?!" Kenshin suddenly spurred away with a struggling Kaoru in his arms. "Trust me, it's faster this way." 

Kaoru looked at the passing trees and saw that they were going inhumanly fast. "Ho-how…?" 

Kaoru looked behind them and saw that the bandits were getting smaller and smaller. Kaoru looked up Kenshin and saw how determined he looked. He was breathing heavily and his bangs fell across his face. Kaoru felt the sudden urge to brush them away, but held back. 

_He's so handsome._

Kaoru blushed red when this though passed her mind. They were in danger and all she could think about was how handsome he was. Kaoru mentally slapped herself for having taken the slightest interest in Kenshin. He was such an arrogant bastard. Kenshin suddenly stopped. He looked around as if to contemplate which way to go. It was suddenly silence because they had just lost all the bandits. Kenshin made a move to put Kaoru down when suddenly a man jumped out from the behind the bushes. Behind him were more men who were ready for a fight. Kenshin quickly put Kaoru down and made a move to grip his sword… it was then he noticed that he didn't have one. 

Kaoru saw a sturdy looking stick on the ground and picked it up. She held the long branch with her hands. All the bandits laughed, thinking that she wouldn't be able to hurt them with a piece of wood. One of the men came towards Kaoru with his short sword. In one swift motion, Kaoru blocked the blade with her dagger that was hidden in her sleeve. She crouched down and swung her stick beneath the man's legs causing him to fall. Kaoru caught the sword that was thrown upwards and tossed it towards Kenshin. The sword landed a few feet away from actually hitting Kenshin. 

He grabbed the sword by the hilt and got ready to attack. He held the sword to the side and charged into to battle. He used his godlike speed and was seen only as a red blur to everyone. 

One man laid dying on the ground. His hand covered his wound as his blood gushed out. He gasped loudly as he shifted his weight. He tried in vain to escape, but the pain he felt was so overwhelming. He watched as Kaoru grabbed a sword from one of the corpses and stabbed it through a man behind her. He watched as Kenshin slashed at men from different angles. From the sky, from bellow, from behind… He was everywhere. "They fight like demons…" Kenshin heard his voice and looked down at the man. 

Kenshin frowned and turned in time to see Kaoru kill the last of the bandits. 

"Who do you work for?" 

"I… I'm not telling." The bandit gasped as Kenshin punched him in the face. 

"Why are you after me?" 

"To dethrone… the king and… end his reign…" Kenshin shouted angrily as the man went limp and died. They had killed so many men. Whoever these men worked for, they wanted him dead. Kenshin glanced at Kaoru who was staring wide eyed at the dead bodies. 

_This is the first time she killed?_

It didn't seem so for she fought wonderfully. She seemed so experienced, but yet as she stood there with a horror stricken face, it seemed so improbable. 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I'm sorry for the long update… it's just that I didn't have time to work on this, but aren't you just happy that I did update?! Okay, this chapter was also too serious. I'm sorry about that, but this was meant to be an action fic, but I just strayed a little to the humor side. Oh well, I just hope you really liked and that my bad grammar didn't upset anyone. I know a few people who hate my grammar… -_- That's sad. But! I want to thank everyone who made the eighth chapter possible. MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS, of course. Thank you, everyone who reviewed thank you! I love you all and hope that you won't be disappointed with my story and I say it again, flames are welcomed. I love to know what I am doing wrong. And if my fic sucks, will you please tell me why so that I can improve. **

**I just went to some Mardi Gras ball and I have to say that it was okay… I didn't really dance, only the line dances and that was it. Those are really fun! I found out what the Spaghetti dance was and let me tell you something, it's just like dirty dancing… ew… I was just walking to the dance floor to join it when all of a sudden people were doing weird things that I just don't like… so I walked away. I made a few friends and that was fun, but everything else was… duh… LOL! They even camera it… I know I look really weird in the dances we had to do!**

**I hope that you aren't mad that this chapter was a little depressing and that there was a little too much drama, but I just needed to hint out that Kaoru was falling for Kenshin! I hope that the chapter was okay and that I see more reviews. I want lots of them… or else… dun dun dun! Just kidding! Oh wellz, I'll just sit here and wait… and wait… and wait… is anyone going to review now?! **

**Ja ne!!! (Is that how you spell it?! OMG I don't know how to spell it!!) **


	9. Chapter Nine

Author's Note: Let's see, I just finished one of my fics, so go check it out… I'm currently working on three fics so go check out the other two. Gr… I got so many ideas for other fics that it's driving me insane! Argh! There's a vampire fic I want to write and an assassin fic I want to write and a fantasy fic I want to write!! Argh! So many fics and so little time… 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I wish I could own Rurouni Kenshin, but I guess some wishes just don't come true… *bows head and prays*

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Nine: How did you…? _

_Why should I care? _

_Because you weren't there, _

_When I was scared… _

****

****

"You know what?" 

"What?" 

"You never told me your name…" 

"Why should I?" 

"Hey, I'm the prince! I have the right to know!" Kaoru just looked at him and continued walking. 

"There must be a cave here… Wait… I remember going down this path…" Kaoru looked up at the trees and frowned. "Or maybe, we're going in circles…?" 

Kenshin looked up at the trees with Kaoru and sighed. "Maybe we are." 

Kaoru's gaze snapped up to look at Kenshin. "You know, this is the first time we actually agreed on something."

"You're right… It's kind of creepy…" 

Kaoru just laughed and walked past two identical trees. They were in the forest, so all the trees looked the same. Kenshin grabbed Kaoru's hand and pulled her the opposite way. 

"Hey! What are you doing?!" 

"We've been through those trees so many times that it's making me dizzy! Let's try a different route." 

"I **know** where I'm going!" 

"Yeah, right." 

"See you agree with me." 

Kenshin just gave Kaoru a sarcastic look and continued pulling her through the forest. 

"I heard running water when we passed here…" Kenshin paused and looked around. He pointed towards a cluttered mess of shrubs and bushes. He let Kaoru's hand fall from his grasp and walked towards the shrubbery. He pushed them away and poked his head through, and sure enough there was a river. 

"Now, do you still want to walk the way we were headed?" 

"Shut up!" Kaoru shoved Kenshin out of the way and walked towards the river. "Maybe if we follow it downstream we'll find a village…" Kaoru kneeled by the river and cupped the water into her hands. She brought the water closer to her and splashed it over her face. "Ah, that feels good!" Kaoru wiped the water off with the sleeve of her tunic. 

"What do you think my father will do when he finds out we're missing?" 

Kaoru shrugged, "Maybe disown you for allowing yourself to be kidnapped by slimy bandits…" 

"Hey, it was your fault we were captured." 

"Denial isn't a pretty thing…" 

"I'm not in denial!" 

"Says he who was captured…" 

"I already said- ARGH!" Without any hesitation, Kenshin gathered Kaoru in his arms and dropped her into the shallow water. 

Kaoru just sat in the water with her mouth open as if she was unable to believe what was happening, then she glared at Kenshin. 

Kaoru got up and shook a little causing water the sprinkle everywhere. Kaoru took her long hair and wrung some water out of it. Then she wiped it behind her back and within an instant she tackled Kenshin to the ground. Kaoru let her damp clothes soak Kenshin's. She looked down at him with her fist in the air ready to beat him when she noticed something. He was laughing… a real laugh. Kaoru felt something in her chest lurch as she stared at him. He wasn't angry or annoyed, for once he seemed happy. 

Kaoru felt a sudden heat rise to her cheeks and she finally noticed that she was blushing… _uh oh…_

Kaoru's heart beat against her chest. He was so handsome. 

Kenshin stopped laughing and looked up at Kaoru. 

"You still haven't answered one of my questions; Aren't you lonely sometimes?"

"I haven't answered it because I don't need to." Kaoru looked away at Kenshin's sudden seriousness. It was a big clue that he was sometimes lonely, but he didn't want to admit that…. Especially to her. 

"Why don't you want to answer? Is it because you know the answer and hate it or you just don't know?" 

"I just don't have to tell every little detail of my life to you! You're a servant, after all!" Kaoru averted her gaze. That's all she was to him? 

_Oh well, it doesn't matter. I don't really _love_ him anyway._

Even though she told herself this, Kaoru felt a growing pain within her. 

"Oh well, you big ass, we got to get going before it becomes dark." Kenshin frowned at the sudden change of events. At first she seemed to want to kill him, then she became serious, and now she was back to her careless mood again. Kaoru was such a free spirit that Kenshin felt sorry for whoever comes to love her because they may never be able to keep up. Kaoru got off Kenshin and walked off. 

"The nerve of her! She won't even offer a hand to royalty?!" Kenshin got up and dusted himself off, obviously taking his time. 

"Come on! Hurry up! I don't want to be out when it becomes dark!" 

"Why not? Afraid that an ogre will get you? You shouldn't worry about things like monsters because one look from you will frighten them off in an instant." 

Kaoru just stuck her tongue out, but couldn't resist the urge to grin at Kenshin's teasing. "It's just that if we don't get anywhere before it becomes dark I know that _you_ will start whining like a pony… just like always." 

Kaoru stopped suddenly, which caused Kenshin to bump right into her and that sent them rolling down at steep hill. Kaoru screamed as she found herself rolling down at a death defying speed. Kaoru gasped and panted when they finally reached the bottom. She looked around for Kenshin and found him gasping as he laid on the ground with grass in his mouth. 

"You knuckle head of a prince! Your really lucky that we didn't die!" 

"Then we should be celebrating instead of weeping." Kenshin struck a 'dramatic' pose. "We were in the snares of death, but our unbelievable luck has saved us!" Kenshin winked at Kaoru as he said this, his word dripping with sarcasm. 

Kaoru rolled her eyes at Kenshin's 'philosophy' about life, but he was right. They should be happy they didn't die. 

"And why are _you_ so mad? You're the one who stopped suddenly. The least you could do was hold out your hand or something to signal that to the people behind you." 

"If you were paying any attention then this wouldn't have happened." 

"Maybe I should make a sign for you and it will say: Caution, I stop at random moments." 

"I stopped for a reason and that was so we wouldn't fall because of that damn slope." 

"Tsk, tsk. A proper woman wouldn't curse, especially in front of the prince." Kenshin waved a finger in front of Kaoru's face. 

Kaoru's face started to turn red because of her growing anger. The 'Prince' really knew how to make her so mad that all she could hope for is a moment to throw him off a cliff. Kaoru looked at the waving finger and suddenly, CHOMP. Yes, Kaoru took the liberty to bite Kenshin. 

"Y-you bit me!" Kenshin looked down at his red finger. 

"Don't worry about it. That hurt me as much as it hurt you." 

"How is that _possible_?" 

Kaoru gave him a look that clearly said it should be obvious. "I'm just glad I wasn't poisoned or anything." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"About you, obviously." Kaoru winked and start walking. The two walked in silence. The only sounds heard were the leaves crumbling under their feet. 

Suddenly, Kaoru broke the silence. "Kaoru." 

"What?"

"My name, it's Kaoru." 

"Oh… Kaoru…" Kenshin tested her name and found that it sounded kind of funny.

"What's so funny?" 

"Your name! It sounds kind of funny! Kaoru!" Kaoru frowned. 

"It's only funny if you say it like that! You sound like a whale! Say it slowly and calmy… Kao-ru." Kenshin just cracked up laughing again. "Like Kenshin doesn't sound funny." 

**TO BE CONTINUED… **

**Okay, sorry for the short chapter and the long update. I was just kind of busy lately and haven't really had time to update this story. AH! Oh well, I went to the Rodeo and kind of had fun. We didn't really stay that long, but we did get to ride a lot of rides and play a lot of games. I was practicing basket ball lately and I hope to get really good at it too even though I'm really short. Oh well… We're going to San Antonio tomorrow even though I really wanted to go with my friends to Astro World. Oh well… I'm saying that too much… I really like spending time with my family so I guess it doesn't really matter. **

**My sister just got me obsessed with a band called Simple Plan. I just LOVE their music!! AHH!!! I'm listening to the song Perfect right now. Oh well, my favorite song is Numb by Likin Park. Moving on… tell me if you liked this chappy or if it should be redone. I'm not very fond of it anyway so it doesn't really matter. Again, flames are welcome just tell me why it's bad though. That's my only request because I just got a flame for my other story called King's Box that said my fic was shit but didn't say why. Oh well, that fic WAS corny so I guess that's why. It was my first fic though, you've got to understand. **

**Ne way, REVIEW PLEASE!! **

**Thanks again for reading. **


	10. Chapter Ten

Author's Note: Let's see, I'm not sure if I want this to be a long fic, but oh well. I'm going to use a commonly used plot in this chapter and possibly the ones later, but it really was what I had in mind for a long time. 

Summary: Kenshin is a lonely prince who has been kidnapped… Kaoru is a thief that saves his life, is a relationship between royalty and criminals possible? Can Kaoru be what Kenshin was waiting for…? 

Disclaimer: I wish I may, I wish I might! To own Sanosuke and HOLD him tight!!!! ^_^ 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Ten: What's wrong? _

_'Cause we lost it all, _

_Nothing last forever,_

_I'm sorry I can't be perfect._

_And it's just too late, _

_And we can't go back, _

_I'm sorry I can't be perfect. _

_ -Simple Plan_

Kaoru and Kenshin finally made it to the nearest city. It happened to be the city right next to the castle, but Kenshin insisted that they should buy new clothes and freshen up before meeting with the queen. 

"Okay, _Kaoru_…" Kaoru glared at Kenshin. No matter how many times she told him to stop, he just wouldn't. "Take this money and buy new clothes. We can't go the castle with you looking like…" Kenshin gave her the once over, "_That_." 

Kaoru's eyes narrowed even more till they were little slits with a small sparkle of anger in her deed blues. Kenshin waved it off and dumped a pouch of coins into her hands. 

"What's wrong with the way I look?!" 

"Well, I don't want my servant to look like something that came from a pile of shit." 

"How can you say that?! You look way worse than I do! You looked like you came from up some rich king's ass!" 

Kenshin just glared at him and took that moment to remind her that he was a prince and therefore should be treated as one. 

"I am the prince and I think that you should treat me as one." 

"Why? Because you'll cry to daddy king and tell him to whip my ass." 

"That can be arranged." 

Kaoru just glared and then stormed off leaving Kenshin in the middle of the town without an escort… not that he should need one…

"Evil, evil, evil, evil." Kenshin just grinned to himself and walked off to buy some food before he set off to by his clothes. 

Kenshin looked up at the sky, "I hope she remembers the inn we are sleeping in today…" 

Kenshin just shook his head and walked away. 

_________________________________

Kaoru walked into a tailor. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go to the castle… I mean her mother _did _say not to return, plus Megumi would see her too. Did she really want to risk the humiliation to come if she did go? Suddenly Kaoru got a wonderful idea. She hurriedly ran into the tailor and bought her clothing. 

"I need a tunic, breeches, and a sash. Some leather boots would be lovely too." The tailor looked at Kaoru as if she were crazy for wanting to buy men's clothing. Kaoru, realizing this, hastily added, "It's for my master." She looked down at her worn tunic and noticed that it was green and formfitting for the more feminine sex. She looked at the tunic handed to her and saw that its collar wasn't as high as hers because men weren't required to cover their bosom as much as women were. 

Kaoru looked at the breeches and found them really disturbing, seeing as they clung to the legs and showed off every muscular feature of them. Kaoru just swallowed loudly, _The things I have to do…_

Kaoru took the clothes from the peasant and paid him. She didn't even bother asking how much he expected, she just handed him the whole pouch. The peasant looked too surprised to accept it, but when she told him it was okay he just bowed down to her. Kaoru felt a blush rise to her cheeks so she hastily ran away. 

Kaoru ran to the inn and found that Kenshin was already sleeping. There was a large sac next to him and she assumed that it was all the goods that he had bought that day. 

________________________________________

The next day, Kenshin waiting anxiously for Kaoru. They would finally be able to get out of living like… commoners… and live like royalty… well; Kenshin would at least live royally. Kenshin looked up when he heard footsteps and out came a scrawny looking boy. The boy looked oddly familiar… he had really pale skin like Kaoru and large blue eyes like Kaoru… Kenshin and the boy stared at one another. 

_Why is he staring at me weird? Oh wait, I forgot… he doesn't know it's me!_

"Will you stop staring at me, you royal prick?" Kenshin's eyes widened…_ His voice is EXACTLY like Kaoru's! He's either really Kaoru or…_

"Are you Kaoru's twin brother?" 

"No! it's me!" Kaoru tugged at the scarf over her head and let her hair tumble down her back. "Gee, it's so nice to know that you could recognize me." 

Kaoru carefully wrapped the scarf around her hair. 

"Why are you dressed like that?! You look like a man!" 

"Well, duh! That's the whole point." 

Kenshin took a moment to look Kaoru up and down. She was wearing a low collared, brown tunic that reached her knees. Covering her legs were green colored breeches that clung to her well formed legs. If it was anyone, but Kaoru Kenshin would be drooling by now. He noticed a brown sash was tied loosely at her waist and thought about the possibilities of there being a knife hidden somewhere in their folds. 

"Why do you want to look like a man?" 

"I just don't feel comfortable going into the court as myself."

Kenshin nodded, "There's one more problem, a name?"

"Um… Well, why don't you call me… Kao!"

"You want to be named "Cow.""

"I told you before! Stop doing that to my name! This time it's Ka-o."

"Still sounds like Cow to me. Oh well, it doesn't matter much. Let's get going Cow." 

Kaoru just growled and followed Kenshin into the inn's stables. They mounted their horses and set off to the castle. Kaoru glared at Kenshin's back, but when he looked back to check if she was still there, she would just smiled. When they finally reached the castle, Kaoru quickly jumped off the horse and took Kenshin's horse… as a respectable slave would and brought them to the stables where the caretakers would feed them. When she finished she returned to the spot where Kenshin was to find that he had already left. 

Kaoru sighed loudly and sneaked into the castle. She knew every secret so it took her no time at all to find Kenshin, who was currently lost in the castle. It seems that he lost the servant who was leading him and didn't know how to find the throne room. 

"Prince! Your Majesty! Hello?" Kaoru was finally able to get Kenshin's attention and when she did, she pointed at two large doors. Kenshin grinned sheepishly, _Why haven't I noticed those before…?_

Kaoru just smirked and pushed the doors open. She would probably have to announce Kenshin's arrival since they couldn't find another servant to do. Kaoru puffed out her chest and tried her best to walk as "manly" as she could. 

"Requesting the attention of the court, Prince Kenshin Himura of the Kingdom Hiten Mitsurugi has arrived!" Trumpets flared and Kenshin walked in with his flowing cape that Kaoru failed to notice till now. It was then that she was really able to take in his whole appearance. He was wearing a long velvet cape, a red tunic with gold embroidery, and black breeches. Kenshin smiled at everyone in the room and stopped in front of the queen. He slowly kneeled on one knee.

"We expected you earlier." 

"I apologize for our tardiness, but we met with some troubles on the road." 

"It's fine. Now, welcome to Kingdom Takani!" The queen held out her hands as a sign of their hospitality. Kenshin noticed that she somewhat looked like Kaoru. He didn't know why, but they had a certain ki linking them. Kenshin's gaze shifted to the young woman sitting to the right of the queen. She was a very beautiful woman with long black hair. She was wearing a white gown that contrasted with her hair, but made her look even more fair than before. Her lips were painted with rouge that gave them a certain shine. 

"This is my daughter, Megumi. She is no doubt the reason of your visit." 

Megumi looked at Kenshin. Sure he was handsome, but just not what she wanted. Her gaze shifted to the servant who introduced him. 'He' wasn't one of theirs so he was probably Kenshin's. Megumi couldn't help but notice his feminine features, such as his delicate bone structure and slender, but long neck. She looked oddly familiar. Megumi slowly counted in her head. When would this end, she was so bored that she would really considered running away. Megumi suddenly thought about Kaoru again. No matter what she did, Kaoru always entered her mind. Things like, how was she doing?, what was she doing?, and would she come back soon? Were her most common thoughts. 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Okay, right now I'm really mad at my sister. No matter what I do, she always messes up my things. All my mangas are ruined because of her. A lot of my books are ruined, my room is messed up and I have to clean it because of HER. GRRRR!!! I'm so MAD!!! Sometimes I just want to strangle her and put an end to my misery, but sometimes I just love her to death. But, it's not one of those times! *must strangle***

**Oh well, moving on… I watched Lady Killers over the week end. To spoil the end for everyone reading, they kill each other or kill themselves! LOL! It was so funny though, but not really good for those youngsters. I also watched Scooby Doo 2 and loved it! LOL! I'm still a child at heart… *sigh* It's so cute though! I really wanted Daphne to fight more than she did in the movie because it's really cool when she does. Again, I'm sorry for the short chapter. **

**I have a question to ask, should I put Tomoe in this fic? I'm not sure if I should because I'll have to make her really hateable (my own word). Just tell me what I should do!**

**Okay, here's the deal… I'm really getting tired of my summary so I'm going to replace it, but I NEED your help to see which one is best. You can tell me in a review, e-mail… or any other way that makes you happy. **

**1) He's a handsome, yet arrogant prince. She's a skilled, ignorant thief. They're not the most cooperative pair and when Kenshin is forced to court a princess… Kaoru has no choice, but to tag along. **

**2) It was a fine day until Kaoru crashed into Kenshin, and when he forces her to be his slave… chaos ensues! Follow the pair through obstacles of old lovers, hilarious pranks, and… corny jokes… **

**3) Kaoru was a fiery princess who learned swordsmanship and thievery, but when her mother disowns her, the world she knows is thrown in chaos. Can Kenshin discover her secret before he forces her to return to the past she tried so hard to forget? **

**4) Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved? **

**Okay, yeah I know they suck but oh well! Those are your choices so now help me out and tell me which one's the best!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! Or, do you want me to keep the original one?**

**I'm so happy that people actually read these things! It's so cool to get replies from a lot of my reviewers. Please, I also need some constructive criticism to tell me how to improve! **

**Again I ask, if it sucks, please tell me why! Don't just leave it at "Oh that sucks." The least you could do is say, "Oh that sucks because blah, blah, blah, blah…" **

**Gomen, for the short chapter, but I'm hoping to make longer ones. Please REVIEW! That nice shiny button needs some Lov'in! LOL! It needs some attention, so give it some! **


	11. Chapter Eleven

**_A Thief's Dream_**__

_Lil-Sun-Rie_

Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry that I haven't updated sooner, it's just that I just got my computer ghosted and therefore lost all of my files. Sad, I know. I was just reading over this story and found that it's somewhat corny and stupid, but don't worry I won't discontinue it. I just hope that you, my loyal readers, won't get sick and tired of this unworthy one's fic. I wanted to write notes to people here, but there's a new guideline that says we can't write notes to individual reviewers. That means, no more notes… :'( I wanted to say, thank you for all those who reviewed and that it's nice to see that you're still faithful readers (*cough*SSSRoab*cough*). I'm happy ya'll love this fic and that really helps bring up my self-confidence. 

Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved? 

Disclaimer: When I wish upon a star… I think of Rurouni Kenshin… Oh look a STAR! 

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Eleven: Five more days…_

_I've become so numb, _

_I can't feel you there, _

_Become so tired, _

_So much more aware.  _

_My becomingness, _

_All I want to do,_

_I be more like me, _

_And be less like you._

_              -Likin Park _

Five more days… One hundred twenty hours… Seventy-two hundred minutes… that's all the time he had to find a wife. Kenshin didn't know why he didn't think about the bet he had with his father until now. He had five days – etcetera, etcetera – to find a wife, and if he didn't then his father would chose for him. Kenshin wasn't too sure if having his father choose would be a 'good' choice. Kenshin decided to have some 'alone' time, but as always; Kaoru didn't let him out of her sight. She insisted on following him in her 'manly' disguise. It still amazed him how many women thought she was a man. Kenshin looked down at the unconscious person. He had decided to go into a bar and, what was to be expected, Kaoru couldn't hold her liquor very well. After about two jugs full, Kaoru was already muttering incoherently and passed out with her head against the table. 

Musing on the days events Kenshin realized that it was filled with activities with Kaoru. He once again glanced down at the person in question; she still hasn't moved (not that he thought she would), _but_ she was muttering in her sleep. 

"M-mom... d-do-don't leave…" 

Thank the gods that it was so noisy in the bar or else someone might start harassing Kenshin and his sleeping, supposedly males, friend. Not knowing what to do, Kenshin gently swatted away a fly that brushed against Kaoru's face. He never really realized how 'peaceful' she could be when she slept… _Wait a minute! That means I'll have to carry her back!_

Kenshin's glazed look turned into a menacing glare. He just couldn't believe the position he was in. 

Then his thoughts flitted back to the bet… only five days… five damn days… five crappy days… five – well, you get the point: it was five days as was stated above. Suddenly, Kaoru's mumbling (once again) attracted his attention. She whimpered and placed her arms under her head to cushion it. Kenshin smiled and placed his head in his arms, much like the same position Kaoru was in. Although she was dressed like a man, he could still see her more feminine features. 

He didn't understand why people thought she was a man; she didn't look anything like it. Kenshin inwardly thought that the scarf that covered her hair accented her pale skin… and since when did he care, well obviously since now. 

It was like Kaoru had a spell over him, which made him want to learn as much about her as humanly possible. She was so unpredictable and spontaneous. Kenshin looked up and was surprised to see a rooster-haired man grinning at him. 

"Somewhat odd tastes you have." Kenshin immediately knew what he meant because if you saw a man staring intently at another, the same thought would probably have crossed your mind as well. 

"I'm not like that." 

Sanosuke Sagara was about to reply to Kenshin's statement, but once he looked into his eyes he knew it was better to drop it. 

…

…

But, being Sanosuke Sagara, he couldn't help himself. "He is quite a looker, though." Sanosuke finished his statement with a suggestive wink, which earned himself a powerful glare. 

"Okay, okay!" Sanosuke said in an attempt to cool down Kenshin's anger, "I know that he- I mean she is not a man." 

"Oro…" 

"I'm not _stupid_." 

"Sorry, you could've fooled me." 

Without warning a hand rammed against the back of Kenshin's unsuspecting head. Kenshin grasped his head and looked up into stormy blue eyes. "That's a mean thing to say, baka!" 

He didn't know how or when Kaoru woke up, but the evidence that she did was pretty clear… and painful. Kenshin glared at Kaoru and turned his attention back to Sanosuke, "How did you find out?"

"Well, her ki doesn't feel so masculine…" Sanosuke gave Kaoru a small smile, "It's a good thing no one believes in that anymore though, and otherwise you'd be gone!" Sanosuke gave a loud laugh and patted her heavily against the back. Kaoru gave a small growl which stopped Sanosuke immediately.

"Well… the names Sanosuke Sagara." Sano smiled brightly as he leaned across the table to shake Kenshin's hand, which Kenshin just stared at. Instead of Kenshin shaking Sanosuke's hand, Kaoru reached over and smiled. 

"My name is Kao!" 

"Your name's _Cow_!?" 

Kenshin suddenly slammed his hands against the table and pointed at Kaoru with a big grin on his face. "I TOLD YOU!" 

Kaoru gave Kenshin a confused look, "What are you talking about?" 

"I told you your name sounds like 'Cow.'" 

"I don't know what you're talking about." 

"That doesn't matter _Kao_, did you guys here about this prince that was sent here to court Princess Megumi?" 

  
Kaoru and Kenshin just gave him blank stares. "Oh well, I've heard that he is _very_ feminine! Can you believe it? A woman looking man!" 

Kenshin turned red with anger… sure it could be any other prince, but why did it offend him so? Maybe it was because of his long hair and history of being mistaken for a girl…

"Sano, what do you know of this prince?" Kenshin asked in a very tight voice. 

"Well, I just heard that he was very feminine looking with long red… uh…" Sano caught a glance of Kenshin's hair, "uh… sorry about that… Please don't punish me!" Sano collapsed onto his knees. 

"Kenshin!" Kaoru slapped Kenshin's head once more. "That's so mean! He was just passing on what he heard!" Kaoru glared at Kenshin. 

Sanosuke smiled at Kaoru, "Thanks Jou-chan…" 

Kenshin watched as he silently fumed. Still, he had five days left to pick a wife and the only choice he had right now was Megumi and he didn't even know what she was like. Kenshin glanced at Kaoru, would she be willing to marry him…? 

_Where did THAT come from?!_

Kenshin shook his head violently, what's going on with him? Maybe it's just because he of the pressure that was put on him. So many people expected him to get married. 

"Hey, Kao, why are you dressed that way?" 

Kaoru looked at Sano and then at the people around to make sure no one was listening. "Does it really matter?" 

"I was just asking!" Sano replied with his hands in the air. "Some people just get offended too easily!" 

Kaoru smiled lightly, somewhat drunkenly, "I just wanted to ignore some one!" She waved off at some of the people in the room. Since Kaoru woke up, she didn't seem that drunk, but looking at her now it was certain. 

Kenshin choose this moment to join the conversation. Since she was drunk maybe he could learn more about her. "Who is it you want to ignore?"

Sano shot Kenshin an anxious glance towards him, Sano wasn't sure that it was such a _polite_ question to ask while someone was drunk. 

"My mom…" was her simple answer. Kenshin and Sano exchanged looks. 

"I may be a ruffian, but I know my limits. That's an impolite thing to ask and what makes it worse is that she won't remember telling you all this. Oh well, while I'm here I'll help you get her home." The thought of a stranger carrying Kaoru inflamed a sudden jealousy within. Sano pulled Kaoru's seat out and attempted to help Kaoru up, but she refused him. 

Kaoru limply pushed against Sano. Kenshin sighed impatiently and flung Kaoru over his shoulder. Kaoru weakly protested, but the liquor that she drunk was getting to her and she hung limp in Kenshin's arm. 

"She doesn't really like me?" 

"Maybe it's cause she's drunk. I never really thought she liked me." Kenshin smiled over his shoulder and headed towards the door. 

"Hey!" Sano grinned, "I'll walk you guys home." 

Kenshin, Kaoru, and Sano walked in silence for a few minutes till Kaoru seemed to have passed out. 

"I'm surprised that Kaoru didn't remember me…" Kenshin looked up at Sano, who was about a head taller than himself. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, it's like this… I've known Kaoru for a long time, but she doesn't remember me… or maybe it's cause she's drunk." Kenshin gave a small laugh. 

"I think that's the reason." 

"Yeah… I wasn't really sure it was her until she answered your question." Kenshin sighed. 

"I've only known Kaoru for a two days and all she's been is trouble." 

"She's always been a _rebellious_ girl… Kaoru used to come to this tavern all the time just to hang out with me and the guys. The first time we saw her, we didn't really know she was a… well, she." 

Sano smiled as he pulled the scarf off of Kaoru's head. "That's how we found out! Soujiro and Okita were picking on her, and stole her bandana. The rest you can figure out." Sano looked down at Kaoru as if he were looking down at his younger sister. He ruffled her hair and the sleeping Kaoru moaned loudly. 

"Sano… stop messing up… my hair…" 

"She does remember me!" 

"Mess up her hair?" 

"I messed up her hair all the time!" 

Kenshin grinned at Sano; he could just imagine how they interacted. They probably acted exactly like brother and sister. 

"You know what? Kaoru's always wanted to compete in the jousting tournaments… now that her mom doesn't know she's here; she'll be able to join them." Kenshin and Sano stopped at the castle gates. Kaoru seemed to somber up a little. She opened her eyes and stared at Sano. 

"Hey Rooster head, it's been a while…" Kaoru gave Sanosuke a small smile. "Do you want me to tell Megumi to come down?" Sanosuke blushed slightly. 

"That's okay Jou-chan." He tried desperately to cover his embarrassment. Kaoru smile grew larger, "I'm happy to see you again." 

Kenshin looked at Kaoru and Sano. He really envied their relationship because he's never been close to someone since Tomoe… 

Kenshin's eyes flashed lavender as he looked down at Kaoru. She was so beautiful… Again Kenshin thought that something was taking over his mind. He never thought that he would think she was beautiful… But still… she was so unlike the other girls he's seen. 

"Good night Sano…" With that Kaoru once again fell asleep. The only thing she remembered before falling asleep was that she felt safe because she was with the two people she trusted most…

Kenshin brought Kaoru to their joint room. He told the queen that they needed a joint room because his personal servant 'knew' every little thing there was and therefore didn't need to sleep in another room. 

Kenshin placed Kaoru on the small cot that laid at the food of his bed. 

He smiled down at her calm face. She looked so beautiful… so pensive… Just like Tomoe always was… but, she was so different from Tomoe. And yet he knew there was something special about her. Kenshin slowly leaned forwards, "So beautiful…" 

Kenshin was so caught up in the moment that he didn't realize that he was leaning closer and closer… suddenly their lips touched and a small spark spread through Kenshin's body. Her lips were so soft… so tender. The kiss was brief and sweet. Although Kaoru wasn't awake, he could feel her passion for living flow from her body to his. 

Kenshin dipped down for another kiss, capturing hers in his. Suddenly, she kissed him back with an equal passion.

Kenshin pulled back in surprise and stared down at her. 

"Kenshin…" 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Well, I don't think this chapter was all that great, but it does bring their feelings a little more evident. I'm thinking of starting another Rurouni Kenshin AU. It's another medieval fic, and yes Kaoru is a princess once again. This fic will be based on a book I've read recently. **

**The title is "Midsummer Night's Escape." The summary is that Kaoru is a princess who is promised to the prince of neighboring country in order to prevent a war. During one of her many escapes, she meets a mercenary and falls in love… to bad he thinks she's a man. ** 

**I hope that when I start it some of you guys will read it. **

**Hm****... I don't really know what to write for my other fics too! Ah! This is so terrible… **


	12. Chapter Twelve

Author's Note: I really want to get this ficlet over with so I could start thinking about my new one, Midsummer Night's Escape. I hope that this chapter is to your likings and that you (hopefully) review. I love seeing new reviews and a flame won't hurt me, so send those too if you want. I'm not really one who would cry over a flame. I might get angry for a few minutes then brush it off… Yup, that's me! ALSO, I like long reviews! Constructive criticism is what I look forwards to the most because they help me improve my writing skills, and we all know that I need it. Again, I ask: should I or should I not include Tomoe in this fic? Oh well, I'm putting her in anyway! Oh yeah… sorry you guys haven't seen much of Aoshi or Misao… in all honesty, I forgot that I put them in the fic… :'( Bad me… Oh well, THANK YOU MY LOVELY REVIEWERS, INCLUDING MY DEAR FRIEND SSSRoaB!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved? 

Disclaimer: Yet another mission to convince the world that I own Rurouni Kenshin has failed… I WILL be back… dun dun dun…

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Twelve: A chance meeting…_

"Kenshin…" 

The person in question just stared down at the (supposedly) slumbering girl. Kenshin's eyes widened as he began to realize that she was still unconscious and that meant that she was dreaming about… him…. 

"I – I t-think…" Kenshin tried to resist the urge of covering his ears. He shouldn't be taking advantage of the situation, especially since she was asleep. Just because she was dreaming about him didn't mean he had the right to listen to what she was dreaming about. Kenshin looked down at Kaoru's lips, had he really been kissing her just moments before? Was this moment real, or was he just dreaming? Kenshin gently drew Kaoru's head onto his lap and let her use his lap as her pillow. Kaoru smiled slightly in her sleep, "Ken… shin…" 

Kenshin felt his face start to get warm and knew that he was blushing, but why would he be blushing? Wasn't she just a servant to him? Kaoru sighed loudly and all Kenshin's worries were diminished… 

_W-what's wrong with me…? _ 

Kenshin looked down at Kaoru once again and felt something deep inside him burn… She was so beautiful… She was here, with him. 

_Oh Kami… please no… not again…_

Kenshin covered his face with his hands. How could he? Wasn't Tomoe enough happiness? It would be selfish of him just to… She was so young. 

_Am I in _love_ again?_

Kenshin peeked at Kaoru through his fingers, _Yes, I am._

"Kenshin… I think I…" Kenshin smiled down at her and gently swooped down to kiss her cheek. He inhaled her scent, vanilla, and sighed contently before getting up. Kenshin exited the room to contemplate his new found emotions and therefore didn't hear what Kaoru said. 

"I think I love you." 

Kenshin was walking around the village thinking about… Tomoe… It's been a long time since he last saw her and the feelings he had for her never died, so was it so bad that he loved Kaoru as well? __

_I don't know what to do…_

Tomoe would always be his first _true_ love, but what if he were to see her again? Would that renew the passion for her? Kenshin's mind drifted to Kaoru. Her scent, her smile, her laugh, her voice… everything about her made his heart soar. 

She was so different from Tomoe, but in a way they were still the same. They gave him a reason for living and ignited a different passion that he had never felt before. 

_I have loved before... would it be selfish of me to have another? _

Kenshin shook his head in a fruitless attempt to clear his head. Kaoru's face kept popping up in his mind and all he wanted to do was think about her. 

She was a nuisance, but yet she was his redemption… just like Tomoe had been. 

Kaoru never knew, but Kenshin had once been the Hitokiri Battousai. He had been called three names in his life; Shinta the scrawny farm boy, the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, and now Kenshin Himura the future king.

He had three different lives and now two loves of his life; the only problem was _if_ he was ready to welcome a new love. Was his heart ready for Kaoru? Could it accept her? 

Could he accept her? Could his kingdom accept her? 

This was not only a choice of the heart, but one of duty as well. Who did he owe more to, his kingdom or himself? 

Kenshin was walking around, too deep in thought, that he didn't notice a young girl running towards him. Since it was too dark for either of them to see, they crashed into each other causing both of them to fall to the ground. 

_Why does this seem so familiar?_

Kenshin looked up and his eyes met bright green ones. Kenshin looked deep into them before speaking.

"Who are you?"

"…" 

Kenshin noticed her hesitance to answer him, so he just smiled encouragingly. 

"I'm Misao Makimachi…" 

The young girl, Misao, was a rather short woman. She was a few inches shorter than himself, she may even be shorter than Kaoru. Kenshin noticed that her dark black hair was pulled back into a long braid. 

Misao looked up at the stranger impatiently. She just told him her name, so wasn't he going to tell her his name as well? It was only fair, but seeing as things were it didn't seem like she was getting any feedback soon. 

Kenshin noticed that Misao seemed somewhat frustrated…

"My name is Kenshin Himura." 

With that said, Misao seemed to relax a little and he noticed that her shoulders dropped and her stance seemed to loosen. Then, just as her figure relaxed, it was stiff once more. 

"She went this way…" was heard in the distance. Kenshin then knew immediately that she was running away from someone. Kenshin looked around; they weren't that far from the castle… if she would trust him enough, he may be able to save her… possibly himself as well. 

"Follow me!" Kenshin immediately began to lead the way towards the castle. Misao seemed to hang back awhile, as if she had been stricken with fear. Not knowing what else to do, Kenshin grabbed her hand and urged her forwards. Misao snapped out of her momentary trance and began to race after Kenshin. Unfortunately for Misao, she was much too slow to match Kenshin's pace and this resulted in Kenshin carrying Misao all the way to the castle. 

Everything was a blur because of Kenshin's remarkable speed. Kenshin stealthily sneaked into the castle and slowly walked towards his room. Once they were in the castle, Kenshin settle Misao back on her feet. Kenshin slowly opened the door of his room; the hinges creaked as it was being pulled on. Kenshin pulled the door open and before he was able to walk into the room, a big, _hard_ object was hurled towards his head. 

"Holy SHIT!" Kenshin had managed to exclaim as his reflexes took over. He quickly grabbed the vase in midair. He looked at the other side of the room and saw Kaoru slumped against the closet. It was evident that the liquor still hasn't given up its hold on the young girl, but that didn't matter. What mattered now was the fact that Kaoru had almost succeeded in knocking out the prince, but thank Kami that he had exceptionally fast reflexes. 

"I thought you were… someone else…" 

Kenshin understood why she would be afraid that they were someone else. Because they were kidnapped before and escaped didn't mean that they were free yet. They had been kidnapped in Kenshin's room and neither of them had sensed the person's ki, so this would lead to Kaoru's anxiety. 

Misao had witnessed the scene before her in silence and almost laughed as the young girl (she did not know) faint. It must have been because she was drunk, she did seem that way when they entered the room. 

_How long does liquor affect the mind…?_ This thought kept on running through Kenshin's mind. It has been about an hour and a half since they had been drinking and yet Kaoru was still drunk. That just goes to show that she can't hold her liquor very well. 

When Kenshin brought Kaoru back to her little cot on the floor, she couldn't help but notice how gentle he was with her. Suddenly, Misao's mind wandered to her beloved Aoshi-sama. How was he doing? Was he alright? Questions flooded into Misao's mind that she swore it might explode from an overload. 

"You can stay here the night… you're lucky I have a knack for saving people…" 

_The Next Day_

Kaoru woke up with a pounding head ache. Not knowing what to do for it, Kaoru sat up despite the pain that it caused her. She grasped her head as pain shot through her body. Suddenly, a pair of hands was pushing her down onto her cot. Feeling this, Kaoru cracked her eyes opened, but was greeted with a bright light that just served to help her already pounding headache. 

"Don't worry, Himura said to just lie down in bed for a while." Kaoru noticed (with dismay) that it was a girl who had said that. She didn't understand why the thought of Kenshin with another girl made her fume.  All her thoughts were diminished, however, when the door slid open to reveal the man of her previous thoughts. 

Kenshin Himura stood at the doorway looking down at Kaoru, but what was in his eyes was what made Kaoru confused. He looked down at her as if he was looking down at his prized possession, but at the same time he seemed to be cursing her in his mind. 

_What could he be thinking? _

"Ah! Himura-sama you're finally back! Kaoru-san has just awoken!" Misao chirped as she gestured to the woman besides her. Kaoru looked at Misao for the first time and found her rather sweet looking. She had large green eyes and a long black braid, but that's not what caught Kaoru's attention. It was Misao's clothes because they weren't servant's clothes, but men's clothes similar to the ones Kaoru was wearing. 

"Um… who are you?" 

"Kaoru-san, I'm Misao Makimachi!" 

"…" Kaoru just remained silent as she tried to ignore her pounding headache… Kaoru tried desperately to remember last night's events, but nothing came to mind. Everything was so fizzy that she was about to give up when Sanosuke's face appeared in Kaoru's mind. 

"Sano…" 

"Oh, the rooster head from yesterday?"

"We saw him yesterday?" 

"Yes, but you were still drunk." Kenshin looked down at Misao, then to Kaoru. 

"Oh…" Kaoru felt a blush rise up to her cheeks, how tomboyish she must have seemed to Kenshin! _Wait a minute! Why should I care what the baka thinks?!_

Kaoru suppressed the blush, "What did we talk about?" 

Kenshin scratched the back of his head, an old habit he had when he was thinking about something. "Well, stuff I guess." 

Kaoru clenched her fist, "What kind of stuff?" Her question sounded more like a demand than anything else. 

"Princess Megumi and such…" Suddenly a thought came to Kenshin's mind; yesterday Kaoru asked Sano if he wanted Megumi to meet him… Could that mean Kaoru is somehow connected to Megumi? Could she have been one of her servants? Kenshin didn't know why he hadn't realized this till now, but the mere thought was now driving him mad. 

"That's it?"

"Well, he did say something about you guys being good friends."

"It's nice he still considers us friends." 

"He also said that you could be joining the jousting tournament…" 

"Really?!" 

"Well, he said since no one knew you were here and that you're really a woman…" 

Kaoru took a quick glance at Misao and sure enough, a confused glint was in her eyes. Kaoru sat up and grabbed her scarf to wrap her hair up. Footsteps were heard nearing Kenshin's room. Kaoru began to put away her small cot as Misao hid beneath the bed. 

"Prince Kenshin, the queen is wondering if you are going to participate in the jousting tournament this afternoon." 

Kenshin looked at Kaoru as she stared at the servant, "Of course we'll participate, my servant and I." 

The messenger looked at Kaoru with what seemed to be disgust and ran off. 

"Did I do something?" 

"It's just that you look too weak to actually cause any harm to any of the contestants." 

Kaoru grew red with anger, "What's that suppose to mean?!" 

Without warning, Kaoru's fist bashed into the back of Kenshin's head sending him falling onto the ground with remarkable speed. Misao, who was getting out from under the bed, almost collapsed laughing because the prince was just beaten up by his _woman_ servant. 

Kaoru smiled instantly and mock bowed. Misao smiled as Kaoru started to talk happily with her. 

"So, what brings you to this village?" 

Suddenly, Misao seemed sad… _Aoshi__-sama, we've been separated for almost two days… I wonder how you're doing, what you're doing, what you're thinking? Aoshi-sama… I want to be near you…_

"Oh nothing!" Misao smiled as she tried to cover her sadness. Kaoru knew immediately that something was wrong, but didn't say anything about it. They had just met that day and it would be inappropriate for her to pry into Misao's life. 

"Do you want to join the jousting tournament as well?" 

"No, I'll just be there to root you guys on!" 

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I think this chapter was kind of rushed, but I needed to get this jousting tournament in. **

**Someone reviewed asking what a jousting tournament is… well, it's kind of hard to explain, but it's a competition with certain weapons including the joust and sword. **

**I think the first part of a jousting tournament is the unseating or whatever you call it (I'll have to look up the name) when men are on the horses and try to unseat the others by pushing them off their horses. I believe the remaining few go on to the later events. **

**Then there are the medieval part with the long sticks called 'jousts' and well you probably know the rest. They charge towards each other and try to unseat the opponent. Then, if both are unseated, they try to eliminate the other by defeating them in a sword fight. **

**But, in this story I'll be adding some Greek games and probably some archery and such. **

**I hope you guys don't mind me changing the whole jousting tournament because I just need something to fill the chapters. Also I was thinking of two plots for future stories… one of them was the Midsummer Night's Escape and I explained that in the previous chappie, but the other could be called Message on a Cell Phone. The summery to that one would be something along the lines of… 'Kaoru is an irresponsible teen who has just been given a cell phone. When Kaoru looses the phone, she decides to call it to see if anyone would answer. Someone does and it happens to be Kenshin, who works at the Akebeko. What happens when Kaoru gets 'addicted' to the restaurant?'**

**I'm not sure which one to do next since this story is nearing the end… Yup that's right. I think there are about three to four more chapters left… I don't know. **


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Author's Note: Okay, someone requested that I put Soujiro in this fic and I guess I will, but to have him lust after Misao is just too much. Misao annoys me enough without having all these men lust and love her, but to have Soujiro lust after her as well! All the traditional pairings will be used in this fic, nothing more and nothing less. SSRoab asked about the jousting thingy, I know that they are non-existent in Japan it's just I'm kind of mixing different cultures together. Oh yeah and to answer your other questions, I think RK shows at 10:00pm every Saturday, but I could be wrong because I haven't watched it in a while since their showing reruns, AND Misao and Aoshi's relationship is kind of, let's say, unique. Misao obviously has a giant crush on Aoshi, who is portrayed as emotionless and non-responding to her advances. I think I messed up on the jousting parts because I just couldn't think of the jousts properly when I was typing it! I probably just put down some stupid gibberish!

Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved?

Disclaimer: I don't own it… just the plot… I guess… Oh well, let the torture begin…

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Thirteen: The Tournament_

"So, Misao-chan…"

The short teen looked up at Kaoru.

"Yes?"

"Um… I was just wondering, why are you here?"

Misao looked down at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh… well, I…" Misao trailed off leaving Kaoru in a sense of suspense. Misao was like a great mystery that Kaoru just wanted to solve. _Why was she here? Who came with her? _

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter… At first we were heading some where else, and now I'm here!"

Kaoru looked down at Misao, _she said 'we.'_ _That means that someone was with her._

"Kenshin told me that people were chasing you…" she trailed off, hoping that Misao would pick up her indirect question.

"Well, yeah… They needed me so they could get someone else." Misao blushed slightly as she bent down and gently picked up a blade of grass. They were both on a hill that overlooked the whole village.

"Kaoru…?" Misao hesitantly called out to the older girl, "How did you meet Himura-sama? And why are you so… informal around him?"

"Well, I guess I met Kenshin the same way you did! I was running away from some soldiers because," she blushed slightly and looked down, "I stole some old lady's jewelry, and ended up bumping into Kenshin."

"You didn't answer my other question."

"Oh, right. I don't act formal around him because…" Kaoru paused. Why _did_ she act the way she did? "It seemed natural."

Misao gave Kaoru a questioning glance and then looked back at the ground. "I don't understand."

"Well… I can't imagine myself actually treating _him_ like a prince. AND plus, he never corrected me before…"

Then past memories of him threatening her with his title flit through her head like a movie.

"Wait, he did, but he never _really_ punished me for it before."

"I guess I understand… a little."

Misao looked down into the village, silently thinking of Aoshi. Today Kaoru and Misao both took to wearing their tunics and breeches. As usual, Kaoru hide her long hair with a scarf wrapped around her head, where as Misao just let her long braid hang down her back.

"Earlier you said that you were going somewhere else…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, you said 'we.' That means that someone was with you!"

Misao took a deep breath, "H-hai…"

"Who was with you?"

Misao paused, not knowing if she wanted to answer the question or not. "It was…"

"Misao, Kaoru! The tournament's beginning." Kenshin came running up the hill to the spot where both girls were sitting.

Kaoru and Misao smiled at each other and followed Kenshin to the coliseum (a/n: didn't know what else to call it).

**

* * *

**

"Shinormori?"

"Hai."

"I want you to enter the tournament."

"Hai."

"I want you to murder the queen."

"In public?"

The was a long pause.

"Hai, in public."

A loud cackle boomed from Shishio. A loud malicious laugh, fueled by his hatred erupted from him.

"Murder the queen, then murder the Battousai as well."

Aoshi nodded mutely, staring ahead of him, never turning his head to glance at the devil besides him. This man was dangling Misao's life before him, forcing him to do what he was told.

"I'm glade we understand each other," was Shishio's response to Aoshi's silence. He laughed once more and gently caressed the hilt of his sword, as if ready to fight.

Shishio is a coward, but no matter how many times Aoshi told himself that, he couldn't bring himself to _not_ obey Shishio when he held Misao's captive.

**

* * *

**

Kaoru and Misao entered the coliseum with awe filled faces. Although Kaoru's been here before, the place never ceased to amaze her.

Kaoru and Misao parted and made their way to their own places. Misao's in the on looking crowd and Kaoru's in the hasty rush of finding a suitable horse.

There had been at least seventy contestants and, in order to lessen the numbers, the first event would be unseating (a/n: forgot what they called it, so please bear with me). Kaoru was able to finally pick out a horse and she got a sturdy one, although most of the finer steeds were already taken.

She then made her way to the weapon rack and selected a steal mace. Weighing the weapon in her hand, she found the mace to be very heavy and feared that she may not be able to wield it. Kaoru saw from the corner of her eyes Kenshin's taunting face, smirking as he practice hastily with the mace he was given.

Unseating is a very rough and aggressive event because it consists of groups horseback riders, striving to unsaddle their opponents by weapon or fist.

Kaoru felt her heart beat heavily against her chest, unseating is also very dangerous because of the large mass of horses trampling mindlessly against the ground. Hooves that could cleave a man's head, rushing downwards at an unspeakable force, could easily kill an unseated knight. Kaoru held her mace in one hand and picked up her kite-shaped shield.

She looked around her and saw different colors of shields. She also saw different styles.

Kenshin had a large tower shield; she turned and saw a younger man holding a round buckler.

Kaoru felt a lump rise in her throat, and turned to look at Kenshin once more. He caught her eye and his smirk grew… it was as if he was making fun of her.

Of course the thought of losing to Kenshin angered Kaoru and soon her fear diminished.

The trumpets blared as a signal of the tournament's beginning. Kaoru hastily climbed into her saddle and entered the melee. Shields collided with shields or maces, many men falling off their horses into the stamping mass of hooves, men's crawling out of the ring… this is what happened. Kaoru fought gallantly, swinging her mace almost crazily around her. She bashed into several men and succeeded in unseating them.

Her nervousness was gone, her fear was gone, and all that was left was her fighting spirit. She had to win. She had to show everyone that she wasn't weak, that she wasn't some woman to be pushed around.

Taking a deep breath, she once again bashed into another opponent.

Trumpets blared once again, signaling the end of the first event. Kaoru looked around and saw that only about twenty-eight of the seventy were left. She was very lucky it would seem. She looked around and saw that everyone was cheering them on, she smiled and risked a little wave. To her surprise, some women swooned when she smiled at them. This caused Kaoru to feel a little mad and happy at the same time.

Mad because she made a convincing male without trying to, and happy because she was able to fool them into thinking she was a man.

Kaoru looked at the remaining contestants and to her discomfort, Kenshin was one of the survivors.

The others were several arrogant knights, but the ones that stood out most to her was Sano, a cold blue eyed warrior, and a short smiling child-like youth.

Kaoru smiled as she saw Misao cheering them on, but something was different. Misao seemed a little tense and hesitant on making any sound. Frowning slightly, Kaoru locked away this small disruption in the back of her head and decided to enjoy the victory while it lasted.

Kaoru got off her horse and led it towards the stables.

There would be a small intermission. Kaoru swung the gate close to her horses stall and prepared to leave when her world was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Guess who?" A voice whispered in her ear. It was a familiar, rough kind of voice…

"Sagara Sanosuke… you better take your hands off of me or else…"

"Or else what?" Sano replied playfully.

His response was a quick and hard elbow, which collided painfully against his chest.

Sano yelped and pulled his hands to his side where Kaoru had elbowed him.

"That's what you get! But, I'm really glad to see you!"

Kaoru proceeded to pounce on Sano and hugged him tightly.

Sano had the wind blown out of him as he was tackled to the floor by a fierce hug. The couple laughed and Sano returned Kaoru's friendly gesture.

"Baka, where did you go?"

"I… went around."

"Yeah, but where?"

Kaoru winked playfully, "Just here and there."

Sano laughed and pulled Kaoru's scarf off of her head. Kaoru yelped as her hair tumbled down her back.

"I told you, Jou-chan, I like your hair when it's down!" Sano ruffled Kaoru's hair, much in the same fashion he had done the night before.

"Sano, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back."

"That's okay, but Jou-chan…"

"Hmm…"

"Please don't get drunk again, better yet don't drink at all! You just can't seem to hold your liquor."

Their small reunion was interrupted by the stable door being wrenched open. Kaoru squinted against the bright sunlight and saw that it was Kenshin.

Kenshin looked at the scene before him and a sense of envy and possessiveness overwhelmed him. He knew that Sano and Kaoru most likely didn't have an intimate relationship, but seeing her in his arms pushed his limits. He glared down at the two and without even speaking a word, he left.

Kaoru watched Kenshin's retreating figure and instantly felt guilty for doing whatever she had done.

"Sano… I'll see you later."

Sano just nodded in a way to show her he understood and she too left the stables, leaving Sano all alone… or so they thought.

Sano looked behind him and smiled slightly, "Aren't you going to come out?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows.

"It's been a long time Shinomori… what are you doing here?"

**

* * *

**

"Kenshin! Kenshin, wait for me!"

Kenshin didn't have to look behind him to see who it was, that was because he already knew it was Kaoru. He didn't understand why he felt so jealous, maybe it was because they had such a close relationship… one he could only dream of.

Or was it because he wanted Kaoru all to himself?

Suddenly a hand gripped his arm, forcing him to stop. He turned around and looked down at Kaoru.

"Why did you run off like that?"

She didn't understand… how could she when he didn't understand it himself?

Kenshin pulled his arm away and continued walking. It was then that he noticed that they were in a poorer part of the kingdom.

He took a quick glance around and saw that they had walked into an empty, but dark alley way.

"Kenshin, what's wrong?"

"Address me by my title!"

Kaoru pulled back when she heard the anger in his voice. This was the first time he had actually gotten mad at her informality.

He didn't turn around, but part of him knew that Kaoru was hurt and why wouldn't she when he just shouted at her the way he did?

"I don't understand! What did I do to make you mad?"

Kenshin felt anger rising inside him.

He had already confessed to himself that he loved her, but he had no right to get angry when he hasn't confessed to her yet.

"K-kenshin…?"

Suddenly, he swung back and pinned her against the alley wall.

"You don't get it do you?! Kaoru… I love you!"

And with that sudden confession, his lips came crashing down onto hers.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**I know it's a bit rushed… but I hope you guys don't mind! I had no idea what to write.. I hope you guys aren't mad!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I await new reviews as well! **

**There's a homepage link on my profile and I'd really like it if you guys could go there. It's just a role playing game that I joined and I can only get attack points if people visit the page. PLEASE GO THERE!!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer: I don't own it… just the plot… I guess… Oh well, let the torture begin…

* * *

Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved?

* * *

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Fourteen: Discovery_

Kaoru stared blankly into his face as his lips attacked hers in a fiery kiss. She felt like her whole life collapsed around her, and all that mattered were his lips against hers.

_"I love you…_" His voice echoed in her mind, repeating the words that she always craved to hear. Kaoru weakly returned his kiss, not wanting him to pull back if she were to make any sudden movement. Soon the kiss deepened.

When he pulled back, he stared into Kaoru's face. Her eyes were still shut as if to preserve the memory of their kiss, and when she opened her eyes he stared into them. Her beautiful blue orbs held him captivated as he started noticing small things about her which made him smile. Kaoru's hand absently played with Kenshin's long hair and he found pleasure in the feather light touches she gave him.

"Kaoru, I love you."

He seemed to have calmed down a bit from the earlier events. He smiled down at her and pulled her into a tight embrace, tucking her head under his chin.

"Kaoru?" His only answer was silence. Kenshin pulled away and looked down at her with his sparkling lavender eyes. Kaoru found herself speechless at the emotions she saw within them. Kaoru saw tenderness and compassion in his eyes, and then something suddenly clicked. Love, her mother used that words so many times and now she knew it wasn't true.

How can someone love another and yet abandon them? How can Kenshin love her? They've only known each other for a few days and yet here he was claiming that he loved her. Raw emotions flooded through Kaoru's body. Love, anger, sadness… The world right now seemed so cruel and unfair.

"No… Kenshin…" She started pushing him away, but Kenshin wouldn't allow it. He held onto the most precious thing in the world to him, not letting it go no matter how much she pushed. He loved her and he wouldn't let her get away.

"Kenshin… you don't love me… don't fool yourself." Those words stung Kenshin in more ways than Kaoru could ever imagine. "Kenshin, look around you. There are so many beautiful women and yet you're here claiming that _you_ love me. How can you love someone that you barely know?"

"That's the great thing about it. We can learn more about each other and still be in love."

"How are you so sure I love you? What if many years from now you regret your decision? What if I'm not what you expected?"

Kenshin held her shoulders as he looked down at her, pain evident in his eyes. How could she think so lowly of him? He looked deep into her eyes and saw that she too was in pain. Suddenly, her shaky voice broke the temporary silence.

"How can you love a thief?"

"Easy," he replied, "I just look at her and I feel happy. I just touch her and I feel like I'm in heaven. She just leaves and I feel empty. Kaoru, I don't know what will happen years from now. I don't know if I'll even be alive or rule my kingdom. I just know that I'll never regret this decision because I know I love you."

Kaoru was speechless. The sincerity in his voice, the tenderness, everything was just too much. Kaoru felt Kenshin's hands move from her shoulders to her face. He gently dragged his hand across her cheek and let it stay there. Tears stared to form and slowly slid down her face only to be wiped away by Kenshin.

"Kaoru, please don't cry…" Kenshin continued to wipe away her tears even though he was unsure of what caused them. "K-Kaoru, I'm sorry. Just please don't cry." He stood there in confusion, doing nothing besides brushing the tears from her eyes. Kenshin couldn't stand her tears, whether they are good or bad. His uncertainty bit at him and he found himself embarrassed to be standing there before the object of his affections.

"Kenshin… I love you…" Tears continued flowing and now Kenshin knew they were tears of joy. He pulled Kaoru against him in a fierce hug and refused to let her go. She smiled against his chest, the world seeming happier to the both of them because of their confessions.

* * *

"Aoshi, why are you here?" Sano threw a careless smile at the cold, expressionless man behind him. They were walking outside and stopped on a hill, which coincidentally was the hill Misao and Kaoru had been sitting on earlier that day. Sano knelt down in the grass. He plucked out a long blade and began to gently chew on the end. "So, Aoshi, going to answer my question?"

"Sagara."

"Hey, were amongst friends! Call me Sano."

"Sanosuke," was his cold reply. "We're hardly friends."

"That stung, Aoshi. It really did." Sano chuckled to himself and started speaking once more, "It's been awhile since I've, or anyone else, seen you and you just suddenly pop up? You know people are going to wonder."

"I don't care what they think."

It was clear that Aoshi Shinomori was a man of few words, a fact that Sanosuke chose to overlook. "Yeah, but how can you stand all those eyes following you?"

"Simple, I just ignore them."

"That's easy for you, Icicle Man. You put up this cold exterior while inside I know that you're a big softie."

"You are mistaken."

"C'mon, I've seen the way you act around that little weasel." Sano gave Aoshi a small nudge.

"She's been kidnapped."

Sano glanced at the man behind him, "You must be blind."

"…"

"She was in the stadium, the loudest one there. Didn't you see her?! I mean, she's not really that hard to miss. She may be short, but man can she jump _and_ scream, for that matter."

"She was there?"

Sano nodded his head, "Why wouldn't she be?"

Aoshi looked at Sano. He seemed to be about to answer, but then shut his mouth. Thoughts flickered through both their minds as they asked silent questions to themselves.

**TBC**

* * *

**I'm trying to update all my fics at a reasonable rate, but it may be difficult to update this one since I'm still trying to figure out the end. This might be longer than I expected because of this short chapter and lack of ideas, but I promise you that it will be finished by winter… I guess. That may seem like a long time, but to me it seems very, _very_ short. Well, I've started yet another fic called 'Bottle Up True Love,' I hope y'all can read it and I look forwards to a flood of reviews. Just kidding, you don't have to read it if you don't want to. Well, I think the next update for this fic will be in around two weeks. Sorry to updating so slowly, I have summer reading to finish as well. Question, does anyone know if there's a movie for the book 'Pride and Prejudice?' **

**Also, please forgive the short chapter. I really am having problems thinking up what to write next. **

**Review puh-lease!**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Disclaimer: I don't own it… just the plot… I guess… Oh well, let the torture begin…

Author's Note: I think I may have to edit some chapters, only because I don't like how I wrote them, and I have no idea what I'm going to write for this fic. I've decided to skip a lot of the tournament and just get to the finale. You can just imagine how the tournament went, but I WILL write the tournament end. I've got an ending in mind, but it will make the story seem somewhat incomplete. I was thinking that I'd just end it with Kaoru becoming queen, Megumi becoming a doctor, and Shishio silently fuming at his loss in his little corner. If you have any problem with this ending just e-mail or review telling me that's not how you want it to go. Oh and I forgot that I had made Soujiro one of Kaoru's childhood friends! So if it seemed a little weird that I called him a 'short, smiling, child-like youth' instead of just Soujiro, I just forgot. He IS a childhood friend of Kaoru's in this fic. To answer someone's question/request, I WILL not make Soujiro remotely attracted to Misao. Not in a MILLION years. I just despise that pairing, as well as any other alternate pairings concerning Misao. She should just stay with Aoshi and leave it at that.

Summary: Kaoru, once a princess, grows up to become a skilled thief. Her world is once again turned upside down when she meets the prince of a neighboring kingdom… and get this; he's forced to court her sister! Will this chaos ever be solved?

* * *

**_A Thief's Dream_**

_Chapter Fifteen: The End of the Tournament_

The tournament wore on for a few more days, eliminating contestant after contestant till only five were left. The five finalists included Aoshi, Soujiro, Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Kenshin. Grabbing her weapon, Kaoru slowly made her way to the arena where the others were patiently waiting. Kaoru glanced up at the audience and saw her mother and Megumi sitting in one of the balconies overlooking the coliseum. Kaoru's eyes met Megumi's and she offered the princess a weak smile.

The queen lifted her hands, signaling the start of the small melee. The five contestants charged into the center, meeting shield against shield. A loud _clanging_ sound echoed the arena as the finalists quickly shift backwards for another charge. Instantly the melee broke into two separate groups. Kaoru attacked Kenshin with all her might, hoping to God for a miracle. She knew that she stood no chance against Kenshin, but she hoped that through some miscalculation or mistake that she would win.

Kenshin's evade was flawless, but before he was able to strike her Soujiro attacked him from behind.

Sanosuke and Aoshi fought together a little way from the trio.

"What's your return all about, Shinimori?"

"That's-" Aoshi cut off as he ducked one of Sano's blows. "None of your business, Sagara." Sano paused to look at his sparring partner and soon found his calmness a little nerve-racking. Deciding not to think of it, Sano threw another strike at Aoshi, but missed once more. It was clear that Aoshi was the better fighter and that he was just toying with the other man.

Kaoru groaned in frustration as she made another useless attempt to hit Kenshin, but he was able to successfully evade all her attacks. Soujiro, although he helped some, seemed a little withdrawn from the battle. Kaoru came from his left, then his right, but no matter where she came from, he didn't seem fazed. Aoshi and Sano unconsciously merged the two groups as Sano backed up from Aoshi, slightly nervous. The two groups merged into a large melee as the skilled fighters fought vigorously against each other.

Kaoru was the first to be eliminated when Sano hit her stomach. Kaoru glared at the tall brunette when he winked at her. While he was preoccupied, Soujiro took the opportunity to attack Sano. The battle wore on till Soujiro too was eliminated leaving only Kenshin and Aoshi dueling together. At first the battle seemed like a tie, but Kenshin soon took the upper hand as he gained the offensive. Aoshi backed down as his strength and stamina weakened.

And then he saw. He saw the perfect opportunity to assassinate the queen. Their battle had taken them closer to the balcony where the queen was. He was so close to the end of his mission, but could he do it. Misao was already safe and there was nothing holding him to Shishio.

Aoshi's eyes narrowed as he shook his head slightly and blocked Kenshin's next advance. Without even realizing what had happened, Aoshi got hit. The tournament was now over, leaving Kenshin victorious.

Aoshi's emotionless eyes ran over the crowds as he exited the arena.

"Why didn't you do it?"

"Seta?"

Aoshi couldn't help but notice how Sano and his friend were alike. Both he and Soujiro always seemed to pop up when you didn't want them to.

"Shinimori-san, why didn't you do it? You had the perfect opportunity, so why did you let it slip?"

Aoshi just turned away from the younger man and continued walking.

**TBC **

**I have no idea what to write… if you have any ideas for the next chapter (or if you would like to write the next chapter) can you please email me. You will, of course, get credit where it is due, but PLEASE someone help me!!! I'm all out of ideas, which is pretty obvious from this chapter…from this chapter…**


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